Williamson Art Gallery

Loyalty
2026-01-15 10:00 - 2026-05-23 17:00 UTC | Williamson Art Gallery, Slatey Rd, Oxton, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH43 4UE, United Kingdom
Loyalty: An Exhibition of Paintings by Steve des Landes

Steve des Landes has been Artist in Residence at the Williamson since early 2025.
This major solo exhibition will include new artwork created in the gallery, alongside more than forty paintings from his recent practice. Together they will present an insight into his bold and singular representations of the human condition.
The exhibition will focus on des Landes representations of figures in the landscape. The people in his paintings are unsentimental; and the artist’s narratives evolve to give an insight into the complex emotional lives of his characters. His paintings are energetic and restless, inviting a constantly evolving dialogue between the painting, artist and viewer.
Des Landes’ personal artistic vision holds a deep connection with the landscape of the Liverpool City Region. His recent move to a studio at the Williamson is part of a continuing journey of engaging with the artistic landscape of the area, which began when he joined the Liverpool Artist’s Workshops in the late 1980s.
The latter cemented his position as an artist with a deep personal psychology and social angle to his work, which continues to be present in his paintings.
View the Exhibition Catalogue online
View Steve des Landes’ Instagram
TAKE THE ART HOME:
Many of Steve’s paintings included in this exhibition are for sale. You can view and purchase online, or speak to a member of staff in the gallery.
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Steve des Landes is represented by David Messum Fine Art.
Visit their website.

EVENTS:
In Conversation with Steve des Landes and Angela Samata. Friday 13th March, 6pm, free but booking essential. Book Now
The exhibition will be accompanied by a programme of events including open studios.

Beyond the Brotherhood: The Legacies of the Pre-Raphaelites
2026-01-23 10:00 - 2026-11-07 17:00
Formed in 1848, the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, shook the foundations of the British art world with their bold colour palettes, truth to nature, and symbolism.
The Williamson collection holds some of the finest examples of works showing this artistic legacy.
The exhibition will also showcase the various ways in which Merseyside has been influenced by, and instrumental in forging new directions for these legacies.
This will include Birkenhead’s Della Robbia Pottery Company, and the ‘Liverpool School’ of landscape painters.

Echoes of the Floating World
2026-02-04 10:00 - 2027-02-06 17:00
The Williamson possesses a small but notable collection of woodblock prints in the Japanese Ukiyo-e style.
These were made by some of the most important names in the period, from Hiroshige to Hokusai.
Their motifs of flat perspectives, high vantage points, and bold colour distinctions, were a radical influence across European art, including by artists from Wirral.
As such, this exhibition will show local artworks alongside Ukiyo-e prints, communicating how Wirral artists have been influenced by, and in dialogue with, artists from across the world.

Ends 6th February 2027

The Portrait Paradox
2026-02-14 10:00 - 2026-05-09 17:00
The Portrait Paradox brings together portraits from the Williamson’s collection and Liverpool-based artist Adrian Jeans’ portrait-based sculpture, drawing, photography and video.
Jeans says: “Influenced by the Williamson’s fascinating art collection, I have been inspired by an under-acknowledged progressiveness in portraiture.
At its best it challenges the norms of the time and The Portrait Paradox will show how I and others have taken portraiture beyond a simplistic paradigm and used it to explore our wider humanity”

EVENTS: Click here to BOOK

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Frances Carlile: Passage
2026-03-09 10:00 - 2026-07-04 17:00
Passage is an installation of beautiful and delicate vessel and house structures by environmental artist Frances Carlile. Together they evoke the many types of journeys taken by individuals during their lifetime, and symbolise the transient passage between life and death.
Each one has been handcrafted using organic material collected during the artist’s own journeys through the landscape, including along the coastline of North Wales and Wirral.

Events:
Saturday 11th April, 12-3pm – Drop-in ‘paper bag boat’ workshop. Free, no booking required
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