Trip to Pallant House Gallery

I love Pallant House Gallery and when planning our trips programme for 2016, it was one of the places I was keen to visit with the Friends. The fact there was going to be a Christopher Wood exhibition from 2 July-2 October gave us the perfect reason to visit, you will remember we have 'Still Life with Boats, St.Ives' by him in our Collection:

 The journey to Chichester was easily accomplished, and our walk through the Bishop's Palace Gardens to the Pallant House was wonderful with everything flowering in glorious splendour. We were welcomed by gallery staff and Mark Golder who gave us a background talk on the Pallant, and then had lunch in the courtyard of the cafe before our talk on the Christopher Wood exhibition at 2pm. Laura Ford is exhibiting two versions of  'Espaliered Woman' in the courtyard

 And here we are below in the first room of the Christopher Wood exhibition, with Michaela Cranmer explaining the various influences on Christopher Wood and examples of his various painting styles under these influences. Photography of paintings isn't allowed, but you can see on the right hand side rear wall, an example of Van Gogh's influence in a painting of blue irises.

 You can just about see the self portrait on the back wall here, he painted this in 1927, the Harlequin pattern makes a direct reference to the theatre and apparently shows Wood promoting himself as an artist.

 Here we are again, this time beside the large painting of a woman depicted very plainly.

 In the final room, we see some of the 40 paintings he did before his untimely death at the age of 29 in 1930, at Salisbury station.
 This talk was followed by a talk by collector and donor Mark Golder's exhibition of Contemporary Abstract Prints: The Golder - Thompson Gift in Room 17. Mark talked about his favourite prints in the room, followed by Brian Thompson talking about his, and their reasons for liking them so much. This was a real treat, and insight into 'What's good about this'.
As always there was lots more to see, so before leaving, I made sure I took a photo of the Lothar Gotz: Composition for a Staircase. Reading what he says about working on the staircase mural he says 'With site specific commissions, there is always a brief, which I try to ignore if possible..'

 There's also The Bishop Otter Art Collection: A Celebration exhibition in other rooms.
And the permanent collection which includes furniture as well as paintings:

 Below is a Shell Vase, made in 1958 by James Tower beautifully displayed on a piece of furniture.

 I didn't manage to see the Friedrich Nagler exhibition in the De'Longhi Print Room.

The bookshop was fabulous as always.

 And here's one last view of the Queen Anne part of Pallant House Gallery, shortage of space there was solved 10 years ago by building an extension, also in brick. A wonderful day out.