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...
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...
Subterranean Elevator has been conceived by artist Di Mainstone, and developed with a team of inter-disciplinary specialists. The installation invites intrepid visitors to explore the inner worlds of soil and the subconscious mind. On entering a dark, elevator-shaped environment, they will feel a soft earth-like...
The Sunflower Dreams Project is a series of exhibitions held across the EU, UK, and North America, organised by a team of international volunteers, all of whom have served in Ukraine since the full-scale war started in 2022. The project partners with artists Nataliia and...
The Williamson Open is BACK for 2025! Our much-loved annual exhibition showcases the best in art and photography made by artists across the Liverpool City Region. The exhibition is now open! Take It Home: Many of the artworks in the Open are available to buy....
The Williamson is delighted to be hosting the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2025 for its only exhibition outside of London. The Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize has an established reputation as the UK’s most important annual open exhibition for drawing. Established in 1994 by...
Introducing Wirral Libraries Story Patchwork Project celebrating Wirral Borough of Culture! In January 2024, to celebrate library communities, Wirral Libraries hatched an adventure with a message to borrowers and social media followers to create a patch depicting what they loved about Wirral- YOUR STORY/YOUR WIRRAL...
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....
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...
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,...
Factory Floor Jewels is a growing UK jewellery brand by independent design-maker Kate Stewart. Each piece is meticulously handmade in her Liverpool studio and tells the story of her fascination with the engineering and marine history of the city which stems from her relationship with...
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...
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