The University’s Victoria Gallery & Museum (VG&M) will reopen to the public on Tuesday 15th June with three new exhibitions featuring artwork from the University’s art collection including the gallery’s most famous painting, J.M.W. Turner’s The Eruption of the Soufrière Mountains in the Island of St, 30 April 1812.
The VG&M closed to the public in March 2020 due to the pandemic but during the past year the VG&M team worked hard to develop online exhibitions and activities for virtual visitors whilst preparing new physical exhibitions ahead of reopening to the public.
Nicola Euston, Head of Museums & Galleries, said: “We are delighted to be able to welcome visitors back to the VG&M. This year has been a huge challenge, not only for us at the VG&M, but for the whole sector, and I am incredibly proud of our team and the work that they have done to continue to support and entertain our audiences online. We can’t wait to welcome visitors back into the building on 15th June and feel the sense of community and excitement that we have all missed.”
Opening Times
The VG&M opens on Tuesday 15 June and will be open Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 5pm. Visitors need to book a free timed entry slot in advance in order to maintain social distancing and safely manage numbers.
#MyVGM Instagram competition
To celebrate the reopening, the VG&M is running an Instagram photo competition. To enter, visitors need to take as many photos as you like during their visit to the VG&M and share them on Instagram using the hashtag #MyVGM and tag @victoriagallery.
The competition will run from 18th May – 30th June and the winner will be chosen by a public vote between the two best entries on the VG&M’s Instagram page.
The winner will receive a goodie bag prize of beautiful Sophie Green x VG&M merchandise, a VG&M print and a £20 Love2Shop voucher. Further details on the competition can be found here
Waterhouse café and Tate Hall Museum
Although the café is closed, visitors can bring their own lunch or snack and take a break during their visit in the beautiful ground floor seating area.
At present the Tate Hall Museum will be closed, however exhibition information is available at the VG&M website with digital tours and content to enjoy at home.
Image below: The Eruption of the Soufriere Mountains in the Island of St Vincent, 30 April 1812 by J.M.W. Turner (painting dated 1815)
New exhibitions:
Nature v Humans (15 June to 25 September 2021)
Nature v Humans features artworks which illustrate the ever-present tensions between the natural world and the human race. Inspired by the Coronavirus pandemic and by the current worldwide focus on environmental issues, this exhibition features J.M.W. Turner’s magnificent The Eruption of the Soufrière Mountains in the Island of St Vincent, 30 April 1812. The exhibition also contains a work by Merseybeat artist and poet Adrian Henri, an imposing, recently-acquired piece by Peter Lanyon and an original sculpted response to the Coronavirus pandemic borrowed from Lancashire-based, award-winning ceramicist Helen Birnbaum. Other artists include Cornelia Parker and Sir Frank Bowling.
More information about the exhibition can be found here: Nature v Humans virtual preview, Gallery 6, Victoria Gallery & Museum.
A New Beauty: Romanticism in Art 1880 – 1920 (15 June 2021 – ongoing)
A New Beauty: Romanticism in Art 1880 – 1920 explores the evolving ways in which physical attractiveness was depicted from the late 1800s. It features a beautiful drawing by late Pre-Raphaelite artist Edward Coley Burne-Jones, exquisite studies by Glasgow School luminaries Frances MacDonald MacNair and her husband J. Herbert MacNair, complemented by characterful etchings by James Hamilton Hay, a bronze by Liverpool sculptor C.J. Allen and a hand-carved feature fireplace designed by early female students at the University of Liverpool.
Image below: A Dream of Love, 1895 by C.J. Allen
It also contains a cheeky bronze statue called The Sluggard by Sir Frederic Leighton, which has become a firm favourite after being featured in the Liverpool Echo via the Twitter page @MuseumBums
Information about the exhibition can be found here: A New Beauty virtual preview, Gallery 2, Victoria Gallery & Museum
The Art of Ruin (15 June – ongoing)
On the first floor Balcony Wall is a display of Italian landscapes which celebrate the ruinous and crumbling – a taste that emerged in Rome in the mid-1600s. Generally known as Capriccio, these playful paintings juxtapose ruined structures with often imaginary landscapes to give viewers a glimpse into a fantastical realm.
Image below: Classical Ruins, c.1750 by Follower of Giovanni Paola Panini
Further information about the display can be found here: The Art of Ruin virtual preview, Balcony Wall, first floor of the Victoria Gallery & Museum
Health & Safety
Visitors need to arrive at the VG&M entrance doors 5 minutes before your visit is due to start so that you can check in at our Welcome Desk and go through our safety procedures. You will be required to follow social distancing and one-way systems when in the building and wear a face covering at all times, unless exempt.