Visitor information What’s on at Gainsborough’s House NOVEMBER 2017 – MARCH 2018 OPEN Monday to Saturday 10am–5pm GIRLING STREET Sunday 11am–5pm AST STREET E CLOSED Good Friday and between GREGOR Christmas and the New Year Y ST * WEAVERS ADMISSION (with Gift Aid ) HILLGAINSBOROUGH’S STATUE Adults: £7 DESIGN: TREVOR WILSON DESIGN GAINSBOROUGH’S LANE MARKETKING ST Family: £16 HOUSE CORNARD ROAD Children aged up to 5: free ST BUS Children and students: £2 GAINSBOROUGH STATION STOUR ST STATION ROAD Groups of 10 or more: RIARS ST F £6 per head (booking essential) SUDBURY All admissions, courses and lectures are STATION inclusive of VAT (VAT No. 466111268). Gainsborough’s House is an accredited museum. Charity No. 1170048 and Company Limited by Guarantee No. 10413978. It is supported by Suffolk County Council, Sudbury Town Council, Friends & Patrons of Gainsborough’s House. Gainsborough’s House 46 Gainsborough Street, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 2EU (entrance in Weavers Lane) Telephone 01787 372958 [email protected] www.gainsborough.org Twitter @GH_Sudbury The House and Garden have wheelchair access and there is a lift to the first floor. * The additional income from Gift Aid does make a big difference but if you prefer not to make this contribution the admission prices are: Adult £6.30, Family £14.50. 1 Gainsborough’s House Gainsborough in Sudbury THOMAS GAINSBOROUGH FRONT COVER: Thomas Gainsborough (1727–88) was born THE ROOMS OF Thomas Gainsborough (1727–88) in Sudbury and was baptised there at the GAINSBOROUGH’S HOUSE ‘The name of Gainsborough will be transmitted THOMAS HIBBERT (1744–1819), Independent Meeting-House in Friars Street to posterity, in the history of art.’ Each of the rooms of the house take a 1785 on 14 May 1727, the fifth son and ninth child Sir Joshua Reynolds theme around the life and art of Thomas Oil on canvas of John and Mary Gainsborough. He lived in Gainsborough; the downstairs focusing on his Thomas Gainsborough is one of the great Private collection Sudbury until around 1740 when, as a young life, the upstairs his art. figures of British and world art history, On display in ‘Creating a National Centre’ man, he was sent to London to pursue a career renowned not only in his advancement of exhibition as an artist. He returned to Sudbury in the spring After an introduction to Gainsborough portraiture to a higher level, but also in being of 1749 where he painted his celebrated Mr at Gainsborough’s House, visitors enter one of the founders of the British school of and Mrs Andrews (c.1750, National Gallery, two rooms downstairs, which explore the landscape painting. As John Constable wrote, London). His search for patronage and critical achievements of the artist and his time in ‘the landscape of Gainsborough is soothing success led him to move to Ipswich around Suffolk. The Hall and stairs are filled with tender and affecting... On looking at them, 1752 and subsequently to Bath and London, portraits of the Gainsborough family and we find tears in our eyes, and know not what although he never lost the influence of his works by Gainsborough Dupont, the great brings them.’ native town and county. ‘Nature was his artist’s nephew apprentice and studio assistant. teacher, and the woods of Suffolk his academy,’ The two rooms upstairs consider in turn noted an obituary after his death in 1788. THE HOUSE AND GARDEN ‘The curs’d face business,’ the portraits of Gainsborough’s House explores the life and art Thomas Gainsborough and ‘Nature was his of Thomas Gainsborough. One of the greatest teacher,’ the landscapes of the artist. artists of his age, he is renowned throughout the Francesco Bartolozzi (1725–1815) after The third floor is given over to a permanent world for his portrait and landscape paintings. Thomas Gainsborough (1727 –88), display of works and memorabilia from the The house, ‘a most excellent Brickt Mansion,’ SELF-PORTRAIT, 1798, Stipple engraving Constable family collection. was bought by John Gainsborough, the artist’s father, in May 1722. Of late medieval origins he remodelled it with the addition of an elegant brick façade shortly after its purchase. The beautiful garden is at the heart of Gainsborough’s House. It is maintained by a devoted body of volunteers who garden exclusively with plants that were available in Gainsborough’s lifetime. The garden is open year round and there is always something of interest for visitors to see. The centrepiece is the venerable mulberry tree reputed to be over 400 years old. Other highlights are the quince tree, a medlar, shrub roses and a small collection of irises and other plants selected by Cedric Morris to continue the artistic themes of the house into the garden. 2 3 EXHIBITION Creating a National Centre for Gainsborough 27 OCTOBER – 4 FEBRUARY 2018 This exhibition explores the creation of a SUSTAINABILITY national centre for Gainsborough in Sudbury. As part of the regeneration of this historic site, A long-held ambition, this project is now a expanded visitor services will be developed, real possibility, with significant investment helping the museum create conditions from the Heritage Lottery Fund and other to ensure that Gainsborough’s House is generous supporters. Featuring the latest plans, safeguarded for many years to come. Among it illustrates the new spaces being created these offers will be a new orangery style Café through pictures and objects, and gives visitors overlooking the garden, a refurbished Print the opportunity to explore our future plans in Studio and flexible performance and meeting more detail. spaces to suit a range of programming needs. REVIVING AN ARTIST’S Audience development and training will also BIRTHPLACE be key, with a strong programme of temporary exhibitions planned across the site to draw Gainsborough’s House is embarking on a visitors from a wide catchment area. major capital project supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund to create a vibrant national REVIVAL centre for Thomas Gainsborough, securing In Sudbury today, the need for regeneration the future of this Grade-I Listed historic house and a place to celebrate the town’s rich cultural and its internationally significant collections. Reviving an Artist’s Birthplace: A National heritage is of critical importance. Sudbury is the birthplace of one of Britain’s greatest Centre for Gainsborough seeks to establish a painters, and has an extraordinary and unique museum that fascinates, inspires, educates and history with the weaving industry. Yet the transforms the House and its collections; creates town has not maximised this significant draw conditions to ensure the museum is preserved, for visitors the world over. A new national shared and celebrated for the next 100 years; centre for Gainsborough would transform and acts as a catalyst for the regeneration of not only the museum, but act as a catalyst for Sudbury, putting Gainsborough’s House on the the regeneration of Sudbury itself, attracting international art museum map. significant levels of tourism and instilling a greater sense of local and regional pride in this MISSION art of national and international significance, unique corner of Suffolk. This project will refurbish, reconfigure and and receive major touring exhibitions, redisplay the historic house and its contents enabling more international partnerships to safeguard the environment, conserve the with significant museums. As part of the collection and improve interpretation. new build there will also be larger spaces The limited space of the house and its current for exhibitions, displays and learning across ARTIST’S IMPRESSION OF ONE use of domestic rooms as gallery spaces four new galleries: a showcase Gainsborough OF THE NEW GALLERIES restricts the ability to fully tell the story of Gallery, a Landscape Studio, a Community Gainsborough and his art. By refurbishing Gallery and a Temporary Exhibition Gallery, and expanding the exhibition space, with the capability to function as a 100-seat AN INSTALLATION VIEW OF Gainsborough’s House will be able to show performance venue. THE EXHIBITION 4 5 EXHIBITION Cedric Morris 10 FEBRUARY – 17 JUNE 2018 In 2017 a significant collection he met his lifelong partner, of over 100 works by the painter Arthur Lett- Cedric Morris, Cedric Morris was gifted to Haines (1894–1978) and in CAFÉ Gainsborough’s House. Works the late 1920s they settled in ROTUNDE in the collection include Suffolk. With the help of John PARIS, landscape and portrait paintings Aldridge, Edward Bawden and 1924, as well as drawings, prints and Eric Ravilious, Cedric founded Oil on canvas even Cedric Morris’s palette. the East Anglian School of Uniquely the works remained Painting and Drawing in part of Cedric Morris’s private Dedham in Essex. Within a collection until his death year of its conception, the art in 1982. Maggi Hambling, school had attracted over 60 who was a student and friend pupils including the painter of Cedric Morris, has been Lucian Freud (1922–2011). instrumental in introducing the Following a devastating fire collection to Gainsborough’s at the Dedham property, the House and in selecting the school moved to Benton End, paintings and drawings for a sixteenth century house this exhibition. and gardens on the outskirts of Hadleigh, Sudbury. Cedric Morris (1889–1982) The school ran for forty years artist and horticulturalist was until the death of Lett-Haines born in Sketty, near Swansea in 1978. and attended the Charterhouse School in Surrey. Following Alongside his work as an a period of time spent in artist, Cedric was a lifelong Canada, Cedric joined the plantsman, who established Royal College of Music to rare species collected overseas. study singing but gave it up He won national acclaim as to pursue a career as an artist. a breeder of irises, some of Although he had no formal which are included in the training in art he attended Gainsborough’s House garden.