Spotlight: Gladwell and Patterson Presents Sweeping Survey Highlighting Artworks’ Unique Position as Witnesses to History

What You Need to Know: With a history dating back to 1752, Gladwell and Patterson is one of the United Kingdom’s oldest and most prestigious fine art galleries. With a focus on oil paintings, watercolors, and sculpture, the gallery has developed an international reputation for offering gems from the 18th and 19th century, as well as works by prominent contemporary artists. Currently, Gladwell and Patterson is presenting “Journeys,” a sweeping exhibition that traces the many passages that a single artwork makes—and the voyages viewers can experience with art. On view through December 23, 2022, the show features a vast array of artwork, ranging from 19th-century landscapes to 20th-century abstraction and contemporary sculptures. On the whole, the exhibition is exemplary of the scope and quality in which Gladwell and Patterson specialize.

Why We Like It: “Journeys” is in effect a compendium of significant art and artists from across several hundred years and offers a unique opportunity for visitors to travel through time and reflect on each work’s singular path, as well as contemplate the myriad ways art can influence or inspire their own personal journey. The diversity of styles and aesthetics means there is something for everyone to appreciate, plus the chance to discover something new. From atmospheric Post-Impressionist paintings by Gustave Loiseau to James Doran-Webb’s contemporary driftwood sculptures, the unique juxtapositions are fascinating and thought-provoking.

According to the Gallery: “The exhibition explores the tales of some truly spectacular works of art. The journey of the artist from inception through creation to completion. An artwork’s onward history, in which they keep silent watch over our everyday lives and experience our fascinating individual stories. Consider those paintings and sculptures in palaces, in staterooms, in boardrooms, in gardens, and in our homes: what interesting events they must bear witness to—the signing of treaties, declarations of war and peace, births, proposals, marriages, and deaths, the rollercoaster existence that is all of our lives. Their paths are changed when they are passed on to future generations or moved on to a new custodian. They can travel around the world and they find new journeys to go on.”

See inside the exhibition below.