York Museums Trust Blog

by Felicity Aylieff (b.1954)

This monumental pot is a new acquisition; it is 2m tall and weighs in at 250kgs!

It was made by Aylieff when she was resident artist in Jingdezhen, China, working at Mr Yu’s Big Ware Factory. Jingdezhen is known as the porcelain city and they make all sorts of things in porcelain, from tableware to lampposts.

The pot was made by two potters working together on a wheel, throwing it in sections that were then joined together. It was originally about 3 meters tall when made, but has shrunk during drying and firing. Aylieff decorated the pot with floral patterns in blue and white to capture the essence of traditional Chinese pottery.

info by Helen

(the pot was purchased by York Museums Trust with the support of the MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund and The Art Fund, 2008).

Fiction in museums?  Surely not.  But they can be a source of inspiration – and we have a few recent examples to prove it. 

Last year Tracey Chevalier curated an exhibition at York Art Gallery and used it to stimulate all sorts of literary activity in a wide range of folk, including some of YMT’s own staff. 

In November Kate Atkinson wrote in The Guardian, talking about the Castle Museum:

“The museum was a place of miracles and wonders for me, where the rooms and streets of the past were brought to life in a way that was (and still is) thrilling. My imagination was undoubtedly nurtured by those visits; in fact I am sure that they helped to build the foundations of my becoming a writer.” (full story)

And the wider community of bloggers and online writers are following suit – here, for example, is a story for kids that uses the museum as a backdrop.  So if you want to get over your writer’s block perhaps you should get along to your local museum.

by John Storey after Nathaniel Whittock

This is a large coloured lithograph showing York as it apparently appeared in the mid-19th century. The level of minute detail is impressive (click on the picture for a better look), down to boats moored on the river bank and people walking in the Museum Gardens. It is fascinating to look at the way York has changed, particularly the railway station, which was originally inside the city walls.

I could study it for hours – it is well worth a look in the flesh.  The lithograph can be seen in the exhibition “A Different View” in the Little Gallery at the Art Gallery until July 2009. 

Info by Jenny, reference R1946

This acrylic on canvas painting by Brian Graham (born 1945) is the latest acquisition for the fine art collection. Graham’s artistic inspiration comes from the ancient landscape and archaeological sites. He is fascinated with the physical practice in archaeology of layers and uncovering these layers to discover new things. This is echoed in his artistic practice – he is an intuitive artist and responds to his materials, allowing their potential to evolve. For this painting, Graham was inspired by Star Carr, an archaeological site near Scarborough.

The painting can be seen in the exhibition “Out of the Shadows” 20 September until 25 January 2009.

Info by Jennifer – ref YORAG 2008.9

The new exhibition at the gallery is about words as much as pictures.  I went over for a first look today and took a photo (click on it to see the writing by visitors).

The show is curated by top international superstar author, Tracey Chevalier.  She’s done a brilliant job – and I’m not just saying that because I hope to bump into her.

The exhibition has some of the gallery’s most engaging paintings and the gimmick works really well.  Lots of visitors are taking the chance to add their own ideas, in writing, and are reading each others’ comments. 

Web 2.0 goes low-tech.

John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) was the most famous and fashionable portrait painter of his day. Born in Florence, the son of a Philadelphia doctor, he settled in London in 1885 and enjoyed an international reputation.

This beautiful drawing exemplifies Sargent’s confident draughtsmanship, his marks are full of energy and are made both with charcoal, and with the eraser.

The sitter, Lady Helen Vincent (1866-1954) was born Lady Helen Duncombe, daughter of the first Earl of Feversham of Duncombe Park, Yorkshire. In 1890 she married Edgar Vincent, later Viscount d’Abernon, and together they formed an important art collection.

During the First World War she trained as an anaesthetist treating 13,000 patients, all of whom survived the anaesthetic.

YORAG R2516 – Info by Jackie & Jenny

This morning we launched a fantastic new event-cum-exhibition on the streets of York.

There’s been an embargo on news about it, so nothing on the blog either, but for the last few months we have been beavering away, laying plans, choosing sites, getting permissions and generally running around trying to make this happen.

We’ve been working with one big organisation – the National Gallery – and one huge one – Hewlet-Packard – to bring 49 reproduction paintings to the streets. It has been an interesting and exciting process. The support within the city of York has been wonderful.

In the spirit of the blog here are a few behind the scenes shots:

The team fitting the paintings deserve a plug – they also printed them – : EPS

The official site is here: www.thegrandtourinyork.org.uk

Illustrations from the Tillotson Hyde Collection

This watercolour by Marjorie Miller is one of my favourites from the Tillotson Hyde Collection. Miller was an illustrator of children’s stories and periodicals around 1924-1935. The elongated figure and composition demonstrate a Japanese influence.

James Tillotson Hyde (1894-1973) amassed a collection of some 1,500 drawings, most of which were original illustrations for newspapers, childrens’ publications and satirical publications such as Punch. In 1962, he gave his collection to York Art Gallery, where it now resides.

YORAG : R4414 Info. by – Jenny

Forrest Gump was so obviously wrong…life is nothing like a box of chocolates…life is, quite clearly, a series of opportunities to eat biscuits.  Biscuits tend to carry with them a penalty, such as attendance at a meeting or a promise (if I eat this biscuit I promise to do at least an hours work before I have another) and some turn out to be a little stale, or what you thought were chocolate chips are actually currants.  Then there’s the fact that they often come accompanied by a hot beverage, thus adding a whole layer of metaphorical complexity that boxes of chocolate simply do not have.  See? So much more like life…

We have a horse in the gallery. Stubb’s life-size painting of Whistlejacket arrived last Thursday and to general sighs of relief, fitted through the door (with only millimetres to spare.)

He was wrapped in pinky paper – like the Jumblies feet – and arrived in an enormous, articulated lorry. It transpires that the lorry itself is not quite big enough to accommodate him, so he travels in a sort of horse-box attached to the back!