Art has been an important part of the museum’s collections since its founding, and at various points the museum has also been formally known as an art gallery as well as a museum. The transformation of the museum gave the team the opportunity to create space to showcase works from the collections, and bring the importance of art and ‘Art Gallery’ back into the museum.
A revolving selection from our permanent collection now hangs on the balcony overlooking the Heart of Cornwall Gallery. You can get up close to the works and see them from across the space, literally taking in the Cornish art within the context of wider art movements.
Henry Scott Tuke features heavily in the collection, an artist born in York but raised in Falmouth and London. He was often associated with the Newlyn School, but himself denied links to it, nonetheless studying often ‘en plein air’.
Works also include Barbara Hepworth, Bryan Pearce, John Singer Sargent, Stanhope Alexander Forbes, Anthony Frost and a broad range of works from Cornish and British artists as well as European Renaissance works.
