Fresh Perspectives: The Shipley Collection Revisited

Oil paintings from the Shipley Art Gallery's collection are displayed in a new exhibition curated with members of the Gateshead University of the Third Age (U3A).

In 1917 the Shipley Art Gallery in Gateshead opened to the public with a collection of 504 paintings bequeathed by local solicitor Joseph Shipley. These paintings included both British and Continental European works, in oil and tempera. The subjects included landscapes, seascapes and a group of historic and religious subjects with a clear moral message; appropriate for a Victorian gentleman.

Since 1917 the Shipley’s painting collection has grown to over 800 paintings, with many gifts and bequests from individuals and some purchases of works that were seen as important additions.

This exhibition is the culmination of a partnership project with Gateshead University of the Third Age (U3A), with the selected paintings chosen together by the volunteers and curator. Labels in the exhibition have been written by the volunteers to give a ‘Fresh Perspective’ on this beautiful collection.