Arts world global first for Harrogate as top gallery opens in town

There has been an exciting global first for Harrogate in the arts world in a vote of confidence in the future of the town in these challenging times.
Messums' Harrogate programme will openwith Material Textile: Modern British Female Designers, showcasin some of the most important textiles created by iconic female artists during the 1950s -70s such as Lucienne Day and Marian Mahler.Messums' Harrogate programme will openwith Material Textile: Modern British Female Designers, showcasin some of the most important textiles created by iconic female artists during the 1950s -70s such as Lucienne Day and Marian Mahler.
Messums' Harrogate programme will openwith Material Textile: Modern British Female Designers, showcasin some of the most important textiles created by iconic female artists during the 1950s -70s such as Lucienne Day and Marian Mahler.

Internationally renowned contemporary art dealer Johnny Messum is to host a summer opening at his new Harrogate gallery at 2-6 James Street, following the success of the James Street pop-up exhibition held just before lockdown.

Spread over two floors, the new gallery will be launching over the weekend of July 11-12 and guests are invited to book timed appointments in advance so they can view the exhibits in a safe and relaxed environment.

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Johnny Messum plans to hold six shows of the best of international contemporary and Modern British art each year in the Harrogate gallery with accompanying talks and events, mirroring the highly acclaimed programmes currently on offer at his galleries in London and Wiltshire.

Johnny Messum said: “I am delighted to be opening a gallery for Yorkshire’s discerning viewers in a town we know so well. I am looking forward to strengthening the gallery’s

longstanding relationships in Yorkshire as well as to forging new ones.

"At times like these, the power of art to inspire and uplift is more important than ever. Our vision is to create a place where artists, art lovers and collectors can come together on a regular basis to enjoy the best contemporary art and craft from every corner of the world”.

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With a nod to Yorkshire’s deep links with the textile industry, the Harrogate programme will open with Material Textile: Modern British Female Designers, which will showcase some of the most colourful, important and collectable textiles created by iconic female artists during the 1950s -70s including Lucienne Day and Marian Mahler.

To complement the textiles, one of France’s leading ceramic artists Thiébaut Chagué, familiar to visitors to the V&A and the Louvre, will also have most recent studio works on display at the new Harrogate gallery.

The upper floor will focus primarily on British Impressionist paintings championed by Messums since the 1960s, including artists such as Walter Sickert and Harold Gilman.

The sculptress Dame Elisabeth Frink, the subject of a major show this summer at Messums Wiltshire, will also be represented.

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Messums historically has strong connections with Yorkshire and Yorkshire artists.

Regular exhibitors at the Harrogate Art Fair, the gallery has in the past promoted artists of the Staithes School, in particular, Dame Laura Knight, to London collectors.

To book a visit to Messums' new Harrogate gallery, visit: www.messumswiltshire.com/messums-harrogate

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