A new book of oil paintings in public ownership in Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire has been launched at prestigious event at Elton Hall in April, with a painting from Kettering Borough Council’s Alfred East Art Gallery on the front cover!
The Exile, “Heavy is the Price I Paid for Love”, is a well-known favourite of the gallery’s collection, painted by the accomplished Kettering-born artist, Thomas Cooper Gotch.
The book is now on sale at the Alfred East Art Gallery and proceeds from sales can be used for the preservation of oil paintings in its care and for gallery education programmes.
The Public Catalogue Foundation, a registered charity, has been set up to record the nation’s entire collection of oil paintings in public ownership and this particular catalogue is the 33rd to be published on a UK county-by-county basis. It features 2350 oils paintings from 75 collections in the 3 counties, from art galleries to hospitals and libraries.
The work at the Alfred East Art Gallery began in 2008 with an intensive period of photography, which involved taking each painting out of storage to ensure the best possible image results. Those who are familiar with the gallery’s collection of almost 1000 works, (this number includes drawings, watercolours and prints), will know that this was no mean feat, particularly as some of them are so large that they take at least 4 people to manoeuvre them!
Notes to Editors:
The Alfred East Art Gallery Collection
The gallery was built in 1913 to house a collection of paintings by Sir Alfred East, who kindly donated them to the people of Kettering. Since then it has grown considerably and comprises many works with a local connection, including those by Thomas Cooper Gotch. Other notable artists include Ralph Hartley, Harry Dorr, and Walter Bonner Gash, along with a more modern collection of works by artists from further afield such as Howard Hodgkin, Stanley Spencer and Joan Eardley. Because there are so many paintings in the collection, it is not possible to display them all at once but exhibitions are changed approximately 3 times a year.
More about the Public Catalogue Foundation’s work
The Foundation’s work means that wider access to the nation’s paintings is being created on a large scale. It is estimated that 80% of the oil paintings in public ownership are held in storage and rarely displayed, due to limited exhibition space. At the same time, a surprisingly large number of collections lack a complete list of paintings with basic cataloguing information, whilst very few have a complete photographic record of any quality. Hardly any has a printed comprehensive illustrated catalogue or equivalent online.
Please ensure that Kettering Borough Council is mentioned in your article.
Address: Alfred East Art Gallery, Sheep Street, Kettering. NN16 0AN
Telephone: 01536 534 274 (for general enquiries)
Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 10:30am – 4:45pm
Admission: Free entry but donations are welcome
For further information regarding this press release please contact;
Deputy Manager, Clare Bowyer (Mon-Wed) 01536 535605
Museum and Gallery Officer, Danielle Evans 01536 535608