Lavery. On Location.

7 October 2023 - 14 January 2024 
Rooms 6 -10, Beit Wing | Ticketed 

This exhibition is the highlight of the Gallery’s autumn programme, opening on 7 October. It's organised by the National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, in collaboration with National Museums NI and National Galleries of Scotland. 

Sir John Lavery was an internationally renowned Irish painter at the turn of the 20th century, and the only Irishman to receive the Freedom of both Dublin and Belfast in the inter-war period, in a divided Ireland. This major exhibition will focus on the artist’s impressions of the people and locations that he encountered during a life filled with travel, allowing visitors to take a fresh look at the work of this highly respected painter.

Lavery never travelled for business or pleasure without his painting kit, and this exhibition will explore some of the key destinations depicted in his art, from Scotland to Palm Springs. Paintings such as The Bridge at Grez have become the essential images of their times. The Gallery’s recently acquired A Garden in France (1898) is a highlight of the show. There are also studies from Switzerland, Spain, Ireland and Italy, and depictions of cities from Glasgow to London, Venice, Cannes and New York. Such was the richness and variety of Lavery’s work that Winston Churchill was led to conclude that his artistic mentor, was a ‘plein-airiste if ever there was one’.

Curator: Professor Kenneth McConkey & Dr Brendan Rooney