National Museums Liverpool Exhibitions

An Age of Confidence: Photographs by Bedford Lemere & Co

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:00:00 GMT

This photographic exhibition features the work of Bedford Lemere & Co, a leading English firm of architectural photographers between 1870 and 1930. Although based in London, the firm photographed extensively in Liverpool and Wirral for a wide range of influential clients.

This exhibition is being developed in collaboration with English Heritage, custodians of the Bedford Lemere & Co collection. It will comprise photographs, reproduced from the firm’s glass plate negatives, as well as objects from the archive. A wide range of Liverpool and Wirral places and people will be featured including Cammell Laird, the Adelphi Hotel and Port Sunlight Village.

The Living and the Dead: Paintings and sculpture by John Kirby

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:00:00 GMT

This exhibition is the first major retrospective of the work of John Kirby, an important contemporary artist who was born and grew up in Liverpool.

His paintings and sculpture reflect the complexities of gender, religion, sexual orientation and race, and his distinctive style draws on deeply personal subject matter.

This exhibition is developed in partnership with Flowers Gallery, London.

Titian ‘Diana and Actaeon’: On tour from the National Gallery

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:00:00 GMT

The Walker Art Gallery is the first of three venues throughout the UK that will display the painting 'Diana and Actaeon' by Italian Renaissance master Titian.

The painting is considered amongst Titian's greatest works and portrays the moment in which the goddess Diana meets Actaeon.

This display is brought to the Walker Art Gallery by the National Gallery, who support regional galleries by touring works where they have not been seen before. The painting will continue its tour and visit Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery and National Museum Cardiff.

Zoom in and explore the detail of this painting here.

Find out about free talks exploring 'Diana and Actaeon' here.

Image: Detail of Titian's 'Diana and Actaeon', 1556-9. Bought jointly by the National Gallery and National Galleries of Scotland with contributions from the Scottish Government, the National Heritage Memorial Fund, The Monument Trust, The Art Fund (with a contribution from the Wolfson Foundation) and through public appeal, 2009 © The National Gallery, London.

Savage Style: costumes from Lily's wardrobe

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 10:00:00 GMT

If you've ever wanted to see some of Lily Savage's fabulous frocks up close then this is your chance! Savage Style will feature a selection of outfits worn by the acid-tongued alter ego of comedian and television presenter Paul O’Grady, on display for the first time.

There will be 7 dresses and outfits on display, worn by Lily in her many different guises, including host of television game show Blankety Blank, star of pantomime and all round fashion icon.

You can also see 4 outfits on display at the Museum of Liverpool.

Lily’s Birkenhead-born creator, Paul O’Grady, ‘retired’ the famous ‘blonde bombsite’ to a French convent in 2004, but she’s back in this display, bigger and brassier than ever !

Part of Liverpool's Homotopia festival.

Image: Productions shot by Alistair Muir from the Michael Rose Ltd 2010 production of Aladdin at The Mayflower, Southampton.

Savage Style: costumes from Lily's wardrobe

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 10:00:00 GMT

The Walker Art Gallery and the Museum of Liverpool are hosting a selection of fabulous frocks from the wardrobe of Lily Savage, the acid-tongued alter ego of comedian and television presenter Paul O’Grady.

The main display of seven dresses is at the Walker Art Gallery, with four more in the entrance of the Museum of Liverpool. The outfits on show have all been worn by Lily in her many different guises, including host of television game show Blankety Blank, star of pantomime and all round fashion icon.

Lily’s Birkenhead-born creator, Paul O’Grady, ‘retired’ the famous ‘blonde bombsite’ to a French convent in 2004, but she’s back in this display, bigger and brassier than ever !

Part of Liverpool's Homotopia festival.

Age of the Dinosaur

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 10:00:00 GMT

The dinosaurs are coming... hear them roar!

Get ready to experience the sights, sounds and smells of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods in this major exhibition created by the Natural History Museum. Meet six life-like animatronic dinosaurs, see fascinating fossils and even some real dinosaur poo.

Travel back in time and discover what life was like more than 65 million years ago for the creatures that inhabited the planet.

This is the first time the dinosaurs have ventured out of London, so don't miss the chance to see them up close!

Please note: This is not a free exhibition, you can buy your tickets online or at World Museum.

The Art Books of Henri Matisse

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 10:00:00 GMT

We are proud to present an exhibition of art books by one of the greatest artists of the 20th century, Henri Matisse (1869-1954), on public display for the first time in the UK.

The exhibition comprises 63 framed original illustrations with text from four of Matisse’s most significant books, including his famous 'Jazz' (1947), one of the most celebrated artists’ books in the history of modern art.

These works are part of Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s extensive art collection, and have been loaned to the Gallery through the company’s Art in our Communities ® programme as part of a commitment to share its artworks with the wider public.

Also on display will be a number of artists’ books from the Walker Art Gallery's permanent collection by artists such as Ed Ruscha, Derek Boshier, Gilbert & George, Tom Phillips and Jeff Nuttall.

Image: 'Icare' ('Icarus'), plate VIII of XX from the illustrated book Jazz, 1947, Bank of America Merrill Lynch Collection. © Succession H. Matisse/DACS 2011

Feathercuts and Flares

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 10:00:00 GMT

This display in the Craft and Design Gallery highlights the original fashions of the 1970s, currently enjoying a revival on the high street.

Discover some of the most influential 'looks' of that decade, from the simple country styles of Laura Ashley, through the sophisticated evening wear of John Bates, to the glamour of disco.

More about the Feathercuts and Flares exhibition

An Alphabet

Sat, 01 Oct 2011 10:00:00 GMT

‘An Alphabet’ is a display of 26 silkscreen prints and shows Sir Peter Blake's fascination with letters, fonts and typography.

Peter Blake incorporates imagery from popular culture into his work, including comic books, consumer goods and advertisements. In this display you can find anything from a poem about Leopards (in 'L'), to images of Father Christmas (in 'X').

There is a childlike quality to ‘An Alphabet’ that has its roots in Peter’s own childhood, which was disrupted by the Second World War when he was evacuated.

Peter Blake is perhaps most well known for designing the cover of The Beatles' album 'Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band' (1967). He is one of the most influential painters in the UK and a leading figure in British Pop Art.

Peter Blake is also the first patron of the John Moores Painting Prize.

This exhibition is on loan from the Paul Stolper Gallery, London.

White Gold: the true cost of cotton

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 10:00:00 GMT

This exhibition highlights the abuse of labour rights in the cotton industry, primarily in Uzbekistan, one of the largest cotton exporters in the world.

The Uzbekistan government forcibly conscripts hundreds of thousands of its citizens, including young children, to work in its billion dollar cotton industry. The Uzbek government is the main beneficiary of this forced labour, demanding high production quotas and retaining rigid control over the exports.

Every year many rural schools are closed and children, some as young as seven, are sent to help pick the annual cotton harvest. They then endure hard and hazardous working conditions and often face verbal and physical abuse.

This exhibition includes photographs of cotton workers in Uzbekistan, explores how the cotton supply chain works, how we as consumers are part of this chain and how we can make a difference.

Organised in partnership with the Environmental Justice Foundation.

Costume Drama: Fashion from 1790 to 1850

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 10:00:00 GMT

This exhibition explores the development of fashionable dress between 1790 and 1850, a period of rapid social, economic and political change. Exactly two hundred years after the publication of Jane Austen’s first novel, 'Sense and Sensibility', visitors to Sudley House will be able to see original clothes and accessories from her time.

Viewers of popular television adaptations, such as Austen’s 'Pride and Prejudice' and Elizabeth Gaskell’s 'Cranford' novels are sure to enjoy this collection of early and rare garments. Highlights include a man’s court suit from the 1790s or early 1800s, richly embroidered with multi-coloured silks and a brilliant yellow silk brocade evening dress, from the early 1840s.

They will be placed in their wider social and historic contexts through a wide range of contemporary fashion plates, engravings and drawings.

Toxteth 1981

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 10:00:00 GMT

A community exhibition to mark the 30th anniversary in July 2011 of the riots in Liverpool 8. It features the memories and photographs of the local people who were affected at the time, including a lot of previously unseen material.

The exhibition is a collaboration with the Merseyside Black History Month Group (MBHMG) and Writing on the Wall (WoW).

'42' Women of Sierra Leone

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 10:00:00 GMT

An exhibition of 42 portraits of the women of Sierra Leone, by British photojournalist and writer Lee Karen Stow.

"When I turned 42 in 2008 life expectancy in Sierra Leone was around 42. I realised that I had double the chance of living a long and healthy life in the UK, where life expectancy for women is around 83. I became angry at what is a violation of human rights.

42 aims to show the beauty, spirit, hope and the value to society of women not just in Sierra Leone, but women everywhere, who wake each morning with the belief that one day, life really will get better." Lee Karen Stow

The exhibition includes photographs taken in summer 2010, which have not been shown before.