Event type: Exhibition

Born in Birkenhead, Philip Wilson Steer was a pioneer of impressionism in Britain during the late nineteenth century. Studying in Paris in the 1880s, he was exposed to this radical way of painting after seeing works by the likes of Degas and Manet. With his loose approach to painting and depictions of scenes that were seen as indecent for the time, Steer was widely ridiculed on his return to London, but eventually gained acclaim and prestige with the increasing influence of the New English Art Club and his teaching post at the Slade School of Art. Later in his career, Steer was inspired by masters of English landscape painting, such as Constable and Turner, with examples of these works being found in the exhibition.

As well as showcasing the Williamson’s collection of Steer, this exhibition will bring his work into conversation with both his contemporaries and local artists who followed in his footsteps. This will showcase his personal approach to colour and painting, but will also show the limitations of his radicalism, largely through his approach to depicting women.

The Williamson’s collection of works by Steer has long been considered a highlight of our collections, which we are delighted to be able to display a significant number of in this exhibition.

 

EVENTS:

Curator talks on Albert Richards & Philip Wilson Steer – dates throughout 2025

Info & Booking

March 2025 marked 80 years since the passing of Albert Richards, the youngest official war artist to be killed in action during WWII. The Williamson holds over two hundred of his works, spanning from his days at the Wallasey School of Art to the frontlines of France in 1944. These works show the incredible talent that Richards possessed, and his influences, from surrealism to Art Deco.

As well as displaying works by artists that inspired him and worked alongside him, such as Stanley Spencer and George Jardine, this exhibition will commemorate his life as a soldier, in which he served a key role in the D-Day landings. This incredible personal narrative, mixed with his unique style of painting, makes him one of the biggest “what ifs?” in twentieth century British art.

EVENTS:

Curator talks on Albert Richards & Philip Wilson Steer – dates throughout 2025

Info & Booking

Across a series of cold winter evenings in December 2024, photographer Marge Bradshaw laced up her football boots and joined Liverpool Trans and Enby FC at their training sessions to capture players’ stories and experiences at the grassroots club.

Through documentary, portrait and alternative process photography, her approach amplifies the voices of trans and non-binary players who are typically under-represented in football narratives. By working closely with the club and with care, the exhibition positively represents LGBTQ+ footballers and aims to foster greater understanding and inclusion.

Marge Bradshaw said “I proposed working with Liverpool Trans and Enby FC as I wanted to amplify the voices of trans and non-binary footballers, who are typically under-represented in football narratives. At a time when trans people face increasing hostility and discrimination, it feels more urgent than ever to create space for their stories to be seen and heard. By closely producing this work with members of the club, we aim to positively represent LGBTQ+ footballers and foster greater understanding and inclusion.”

Whilst participants’ stories are shared through portrait and documentary photography (and text), the artist has also used alternative, sustainable photographic processes in their work.

Level Playing Field is a creative commission that responds to the 2024 project ‘Going to the Match On Tour’. Supported by The Lowry, Salford, Arts Council England, The Law Family Charitable Foundation and the Sir Bobby Charlton Foundation.

 

Read more on our blog

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About Marge Bradshaw

Marge Bradshaw is a socially engaged professional photographer and artist interested in people, place, and heritage. She uses a combination of documentary and environmental portrait photography to share the stories and lived experience of participants; typically giving a platform for voices that aren’t usually heard. Marge has worked with Open Eye Gallery Liverpool, RPS Gallery Bristol, Bolton Museum & Art Gallery, Warrington Contemporary Art Festival, HOME Manchester, Museums Northumberland, and the Science Museum London. Marge was shortlisted for the British Journal of Photography’s Portrait of Britain volume 6 and volume 7.

Marge Bradshaw Photography

 

About Liverpool Trans and Enby FC

Liverpool Trans and Enby FC is a Liverpool-based football club ran for and by the trans community. All members of the LGBTQ+ community are welcome at training.

Liverpool Trans and Enby FC

Image by Marge Bradshaw

Firing Up Bridge Cottage presents work by ceramic artists including internationally-renowned sculptor Emma Rodgers, ‘Great Pottery Thrown Down’ finalist and emerging artist Jacob Chan, and comedy legend turned artist Johnny Vegas, alongside others.

The exhibition connects Bridge Cottage in Port Sunlight to Rodgers’ studio nearby at the historic Fire Engine Station. Many of the artworks have been specially created for the exhibition, drawing on stories from Port Sunlight’s past, as well as the village’s unique architecture and character.

Founded in 1920, the Society of Wood Engravers has long championed the continuing practice of this skilled printmaking technique by holding annual exhibitions to celebrate the vision and versatility of contemporary engravers.

The 87th Annual Exhibition presents over 120 prints selected from an open submission to display a broad diversity of style and subject-matter by both members and non-members from the UK and overseas; all brought together by their commitment to excellence in an exacting medium.

This is the first time in over 25 years that this stunning exhibition has been presented in the Northwest of England, so it is with great pleasure that Kirkby Gallery presents this annual show for the first time.

Complementing this, in The Entrance Gallery is a show of book art curated by Liverpool Book Art, Printmaking Today and SWE responding to the theme, ‘Letting in the Light’, aimed at encouraging exchange and cross-over of ideas and techniques between book artists and printmakers.

Wild landscapes filled with atmospheric light evoke changing seasons, and loose brush marks can make the viewer believe they can feel the spray of a waterfall on their face. This series of paintings by Helène Dougherty are windows of escapism – to places unlike where the artist lives. Views of the ocean and the towering waterfalls, which fascinate Helène, capture the energy of water as it moves.

These, along with the forests and skies are inspired by places in Wales, remembered and referenced from photographs, and then painted in her studio in St Helens.

The title of the exhibition, taken from TS Eliot’s poem ‘East Coker’ refers to Helène’s use of light and movement and this collection of work is part of the artist’s drive to paint more loosely and less figuratively. In order to develop as a painter she is fighting against a tendency to use tighter brush marks to paint realistically – this theme of change is also referenced in that poem:

“In order to arrive at what you are notYou must go through the way in which you are not.”

These softer, looser connections between the parts of the picture make the most of the qualities of paint and give the audience space to react emotionally to the work – placing themselves in these landscapes and allowing their memory to dance in the light.

Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience is set to return to Liverpool this summer after attracting an amazing 60,000 visitors during its UK premiere in the city in 2024.

The unmissable multimedia experience will be at the waterfront Exhibition Centre Liverpool from Tuesday 15th July to Sunday 3rd August.

And city art lovers will also become the first in the country to enjoy a stunning new immersive show, Beyond Monet, receiving its UK premiere in Liverpool and which brings the works of the ‘Father of Impressionism’ to life in mesmerising fashion.

Beyond Van Gogh and Beyond Monet will be staged on different days throughout the three-week run at the landmark waterfront venue.

This inspiring exhibition is a celebration of Brazil’s rich cultural and natural heritage, presenting a beautiful collection of works that explore themes of sustainability, diversity and the importance of indigenous communities.

More than an exhibition, Echoes of Brazil has been designed as an immersive experience. Visitors will have the opportunity to scan QR codes to listen to the Brazilian music that inspired Anne’s creative process, offering a deeper connection with the artwork.

In a significant gesture of support, a portion of the profits from the exhibition will be donated to Bolsa Oro @bolsaoro ,which promotes sustainability through a reverse logistics system to transform plastic waste into valuable materials and generate economic opportunities in local regions in Brazil. And to the Instituto Socioambiental @socioambiental, an organisation dedicated to defending the environment, the rights of indigenous peoples, quilombolas, ribeirinhos and traditional communities in Brazil.

Amartey Golding’s solo exhibition marks the conclusion of FACT’s multi-year Resolution project, which explores how art can affect public attitudes and influence decision-making in the justice system.

Known for his emotionally impactful work, Golding collaborates with imprisoned men at HMP Altcourse (Liverpool, UK) to create a large-scale chainmail sculpture weighing over 200 kilograms. Together, the group have crafted an intricate garment that represents their shared stories and explores themes of trauma, identity, and societal behaviours. The exhibition features the resulting chainmail garment alongside a new audio work, inviting visitors to reflect on how art can affect public attitudes and create a space for dialogue and representation.

Feature Image: Amartey Golding, In The Comfort of Embers (2023). Solo Exhibition at Power Plant Toronto Canada, 2023. Courtesy the artist. Photo by Toni Hafkenscheid

Opening at Museum of Liverpool on Saturday 14 September 2024, The Holly Johnson Story explores the incredible life of Holly Johnson and his meteoric rise to fame, where he became one of the first openly gay and openly HIV+ high profile artists in history.

The opening of this exhibition also marks the 40th anniversary release of Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s album Welcome to the Pleasuredome featuring Relax, Two Tribes and The Power of Love.

Supported by a £142,338 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, National Museums Liverpool has partnered with local arts organisations Homotopia and DuoVision in collaboration with Holly Johnson to deliver this landmark exhibition that will take visitors on a journey through Holly’s outstanding career, from his early years in Liverpool to international stardom.

Made possible by National Lottery players, the exhibition is part of a project that has documented LGBTQ+ heritage by working with sexual health and wellness charity Sahir, to explore Holly’s archive and capture the stories of local LGBTQ+ people in community workshops and oral history sessions.

Featured in the exhibition are unique items from Holly Johnson’s career, including iconic costumes by Leigh Bowery and Vivienne Westwood, Frankie Goes to Hollywood memorabilia, personal audio accounts of people living with HIV in Liverpool, produced in collaboration with Sahir House, and paintings by Holly himself.

Social and political unrest in a changing 1980s Britain led the way for a cultural revolution, set against a backdrop of synth-pop music and experimental sounds. The era was a time of innovation and rebellion, punks, and new wave bands, and at the forefront stood Holly Johnson.

The Holly Johnson Story charts Holly’s early personal life and career, from a young musician to an internationally renowned, openly gay star, living in the public eye. Dealing with the price of fame, coping with an HIV+ diagnosis and the unwanted negative press, whilst going it alone as a monumental LGBTQ+ icon.

Through polarising emotions of glamour and sexual liberation, alongside fear, loss, and stigma, The Holly Johnson Story tells the stories of people who experienced the gay scene in the 1980s, and the devastating impact and legacy of HIV.

Holly Johnson said: “The opportunity to mount this exhibition is actually like winning the National Lottery for me. As a teenager Music and Art were my passion, reading Jean Genet, William Burroughs and listening to the music of The Beatles, Marc Bolan, David Bowie and The Velvet Underground: seeing the films of Derek Jarman and Andy Warhol along with his supercharged colour paintings. Pondering over Peter Blake’s Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band artwork as a child led me ultimately to Hollywood and back again. Everything I was ever drawn to, through a lens of Queerness and controversy I brought with me into the future we live in now.”