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Wednesday 10am - 5pm Thursday 10am - 5pm Friday 10am - 5pm Saturday 10am - 5pm Sunday 10am - 5pm

York Art Gallery

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York Art Gallery

In 1892 it became the City Art Gallery. York Art Gallery underwent a major redevelopment prior to its grand reopening on 1 August 2015.
(1091)

York Art Gallery’s collection of paintings spans more than 600 years and works range from 14th century Italian panels and 17th century Dutch masterpieces to Victorian narrative paintings and 20th century works by LS Lowry and David Hockney. We also hold the most extensive and representative collection of British Studio Ceramics, thanks to the acquisition of collections from Dean Milner–White, WA I

smay and Henry Rothschild and the recent long term loan of Anthony Shaw’s collection. The building which houses the gallery opened its doors to the public in 1879 for the second Yorkshire Fine Art and Industrial Exhibition, inspired by the Great Exhibition in London of 1851. The project enabled the creation of 60% more display space, new gardens and a Centre of Ceramic Art (CoCA). Find out more: www.yorkartgallery.org.uk

03/06/2026

Summer Supper Clubs at York Art Gallery 🍽️

Join us for a special evening of great food and beautiful surroundings as Sketch Café hosts a series of Summer Supper Clubs.

Each supper club will feature its own unique four-course menu, specially created for that evening. Settle in for an evening of seasonal flavours and relaxed dining in the café after hours.

🗓️ Friday 12 June, Friday 3 July and Saturday 8 August
🕡 Arrival from 6.30pm
🍽️ Dinner served from 7.00pm
💷 £45 per person

To book your place, please email:
📧 [email protected]

Spaces are limited, so early booking is recommended!

28/05/2026

Don't miss our next summer workshop! ✨

Join artist, designer and creative director Susan Bradley for a special tin embossing workshop. You’ll learn how to create beautiful small creations from thin gauge metal that you can cut and emboss by hand.

You can make them into small artworks you can frame for your home, or you’ll be able to make them into hanging ornaments which catch the light beautifully.

Susan will guide you in a relaxed and fun way to create something special, beautiful and handmade by you. You’ll get to slow down, be creative and mindful, and learn something new.

No previous experience required. (Suitable for over 16s only)

🗓️ Sunday 7 June 2026
🕓 4:00pm-6:00pm
📍 Sketch Cafe

🔗 Find out more and book now at: https://www.yorkmuseumstrust.org.uk/whats-on/events/summer-tin-embossing-workshop/

26/05/2026

Escape the heat and dive into a world of stories, sea monsters and imagination with us tomorrow morning! 🌊

We still have some spaces available for Gallery Tales — an interactive storytelling adventure with the award-winning Story Craft Theatre, where art comes alive and stories leap off the gallery walls.

This May Half-Term, there’ll be a tale and craft activity inspired by the artwork that features in our Making Waves exhibition – you’ll dive into a tale of great sea monsters who are more magical than scary.

📅 Wednesday 27 May 2026
⏰ 10.15am–11am & 11.30am–12.15pm
🧒 Suitable for ages 2–8

🔗 Book now at: https://www.yorkmuseumstrust.org.uk/whats-on/events/gallery-tales-3/

21/05/2026

This iconic work is still making a splash today!🌊

Here, our Curator of Fine Art, Eleanor Jackson, takes a closer look at Katsushika Hokusai’s The Great Wave — exploring the detail, craftsmanship and lasting impact of this instantly recognisable print.

Don’t miss the chance to see this extraordinary work, currently on loan from Maidstone Museum, as part of Making Waves: The Art of Japanese Woodblock Print at York Art Gallery.

🔗Book now at: https://www.yorkartgallery.org.uk/exhibition/making-waves-the-art-of-japanese-woodblock-print/

Katsushika Hokusai, ‘The Great Wave’, 1831. Courtesy of Maidstone Museums.

01/05/2026

Nothing beats a Yorkshire view! 🌿👀

This beautiful piece from our collection captures a peaceful farmstead nestled in the rolling hills of North Yorkshire.

It was painted by Joseph Alfred Terry (1872 – 1939), a nephew of the chocolate manufacturer, Joseph Terry. This British artist was born in York and attended the city’s School of Art in the early 1890s. Following a stint studying in Paris, he returned to God’s own country to live and work in Sleights, near Whitby.

Terry revelled in the beauty of the countryside around him, as exhibited by this idyllic rural scene. Will you be exploring the Yorkshire countryside this bank holiday weekend? 🌾

🔍 Underhill Farm, Sleights by Joseph Alfred Terry (1872 – 1939).

23/04/2026

J. M. W. Turner was born 🎂

Born on 23 April 1775, Turner is widely regarded as one of the most influential British artists of all time.

To mark the occasion, we’re celebrating his luminous watercolour Lake Constance (1842) that we hold in the York Art Gallery collection. 🖼️

This atmospheric view is one of a series of finished Swiss watercolours based on sketches from Turner’s continental tour in 1841. The work was later commissioned by his great champion John Ruskin, developed from a study now held in the British Museum as part of the Turner Bequest.

With the ethereal blues of the water and sky and the glowing light of the entire scene, it is one of the most beautiful of Turner's late watercolours.

🔍 Constance, (1842) by J. M. W. Turner (1775–1851)

21/04/2026

Congratulations to this year’s shortlist! 👏

Did you know that York Art Gallery was also shortlisted for Art Fund Museum of the Year following our refurbishment in 2016? 👀

Good luck to all five ahead of the winners’ announcement at the end of June!

13/04/2026

This tomb figurine is over 1,000 years old! ✨

It joined the York Art Gallery collection through a 1963 bequest from York collector John Bowes Morrell, whose donation included over 450 objects across art, archaeology, and social history—now part of the York Museums Trust collections. Many of these items were acquired from early 20th-century English country house auctions.

A striking example of Tang sancai pottery, this figurine may even be a portrait, with traces of its original hand-painted features still visible.

📍You can see it now on display in our Not a Pot exhibition.

⭐ Staff pick: researched and presented by Ginny from our Visitor Experience team

04/04/2026

Did you know that rats and grapes are a traditional pairing in Japanese art? 🐀🍇

A perfect motif for World Rat Day, this surimono (poetry print) was likely created to share New Year’s blessings in the Year of the Rat. Together, rats and grapes symbolise abundant harvests and fertility — a wish for prosperity in the year ahead.

The print also showcases refined techniques, including kimetsubushi (uniform grain printing) to create the woodgrain texture, and bokashi (gradation) for the rich, two-tone colouring of the grapes.

🔎 Chobunsai Eishi (1756–1829), Rat and Grapes, design early 19th century, reproduction early 20th century.

01/04/2026

We still have a few spaces available for this special workshop in the Sketch Cafe! ☕️

🔗 Follow the link in the post below to book

Address

Exhibition Square
York
YO17EW

Opening Hours

Wednesday	10am - 5pm
Thursday	10am - 5pm
Friday	10am - 5pm
Saturday	10am - 5pm
Sunday	10am - 5pm

Telephone

+441904687687

Website

http://www.yorkartgallery.org.uk/

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