Harrogate Borough Council

 
 

Mercer Art Gallery, Harrogate

The Mercer Art Gallery is home to Harrogate district's fine art collection which consists of some 2000 works of art, mainly from the 19th and 20th centuries. The collection includes works by William Powell Frith, Atkinson Grimshaw, Sir Edward Burne-Jones, Dame Laura Knight, Alan Davie and many more. The collection is not on permanent display. Paintings, prints and drawings from it are featured in our lively and diverse exhibition programme throughout the year.

The gallery has two spaces, the Main Gallery and the smaller North Gallery. The changing exhibition programme for both galleries ranges from national touring exhibitions of painting, photography, sculpture and crafts to exhibitions from the permanent collections to displays by local artists.

 

Current exhibitions

 
The Harrogate Open 2008
26 July - 7 September 2008
The Harrogate Open Exhibition is a showcase for the district's talented artists.
 
640 works of art in all media were entered, from which 140 works by 96 artists have been selected for the exhibition.
 
The top prize has been awarded to Jessica Thorn for her sculptural metal furniture, with second prize going to distinguished Knaresborough ceramic artist Maggie Barnes for her porcelain and handmade paper 'marine fossils'.
 

Six artists won special commendations £50 each:

  • Myles Linley for his painting Pocklington Canal
  • Lesley Birch for her print This Quiet Morning
  • Simon Beer for his oil painting Geology
  • photographer Martin Meyrick for his panoramic view Hampstead Heath Woods, Joyce Rowland for her oil Aerial Shapes
  • Douglas Wales for his charcoal and pastel drawing Norton Conyers.
The prizes are all sponsored by the Friends of the Mercer Art Gallery and the variety of winners is a clear indication of the variety of work on show in the exhibition. 
 
This year, for the first time, the Mercer Art Gallery is introducing the Harrogate Open People's Prize. Visitors to the exhibition will have the chance to vote for the work they like the best in the show, and help it to win a prize of £100 donated by the Friends of the Mercer Art Gallery.
 
 
 
Find out what's on next.
 
Find out about events at the gallery
 
Interested in hiring the gallery for a private group visit? Find out more
 
 
 
 

Blockbuster show: William Powell Frith - Painting the Victorian Age

Missed our biggest ever show?  You can still find out a bit about Harrogate's most famous artist and see some images of his paintings.

Find out more about William Powell Frith

 
Harrogate Borough Council, Council Offices, Crescent Gardens, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG1 2SG, Tel: (01423) 500600