Biography
The nucleus of Norwich's museum collection was established with a gift of paintings from the East Anglian Art Society to the city in 1894. Thanks to this bequest, then located in the city centre, moved to Norwich Castle, where for the first time an art gallery existed alongside the display of other collections held by the museum and it has a notable tempoary exhibition programme.
The gallery holds the most comprehensive collection of paintings by the Norwich School of Artists in the UK, including works by John Crome and John Sell Cotman. There is a selection of British, Dutch and Flemish landscape paintings and a number of Rembrandt etchings. The modern collection is relatively small but covers a range of different movements with notable works by Alfred Sisley, George Clausen, Gwen John, Walter Sickert and David Bomberg. The contemporary collection has an emphasis towards the region and artists who have taught at the Norwich School of Art. The Contemporary Art Society has donated over 80 works in a variety since 1940 including Roger Ackling, Sandra Blow, David Bombderg, Dennis Creffield, Terry Frost, Tacita Dean, Anthea Hamilton and in 2022/23 it presented a suite of 8 photographs acquired with its Collections Fund at Frieze by the Ghanian artist Ibrahim Mahama, the first institution in the UK to hold his work. Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery is undergoing a major redevelopement which will be completed in 2024.
