Entrance to The Harley Gallery - geograph

The Harley Gallery and Foundation is an educational charity situated on the ducal estate of

Welbeck Abbey Welbeck Abbey in the Dukeries in North Nottinghamshire was the site of a monastery belonging to the Premonstratensian order in England and after the Dissolution of the Monasteries, a country house residence of the Dukes of Portland. It is one ...

in North

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...

The Harley Foundation

The Harley Foundation was set up in 1977 by Ivy, Duchess of Portland, "to encourage creativity in all of us". The Harley Foundation works towards this aim through the activities of The Portland Collection, The Harley Gallery and The Harley Foundation Studios. The Harley Foundation is a

registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...

and in 2010-11 had a gross income of £11,416,110.

The Harley Gallery

The Gallery works towards the Foundation's objectives through the historical and contemporary exhibition programme, craft shop, events and education activities.

History and architecture

The Harley Gallery was built in 1994, "converted with great aplomb by Leo Godlewski from the old estate gasworks built by the 5th Duke in 1860." The gas works were built to illuminate the 5th Duke's "New Works" at Welbeck, and were one of his early buildings. These works provided light and heat for the gallops, gardens and "underground drives which lace the Park... lit both by circular, plate glass skylights and gas lamps fed from the Duke's own purpose-built gas works (now the Harley Gallery)." The gas works were in a state of ruin when work began to convert them into the Gallery; however, parts of the original detail and character of the original building were retained - including an original roof truss which is still visible within the building. The building won a Civic Trust Award for Architecture in 1995.

Exhibitions

The three gallery spaces are used to exhibit a wide variety of contemporary and historical art and craft, with exhibitions changing five times a year. Previous fine art exhibitions have included

David Hockney David Hockney (born 9 July 1937) is an English painter, draftsman, printmaker, stage designer, and photographer. As an important contributor to the pop art movement of the 1960s, he is considered one of the most influential British artists o ...

, Peter Blake,

Euan Uglow Euan Ernest Richard Uglow (10 March 1932 – 31 August 2000) was a British painter. He is best known for his nude and still life paintings, such as ''German Girl'' and ''Skull''. Biography Euan Uglow was born in 1932 in London. As a child, he l ...

and

George Stubbs George Stubbs (25 August 1724 – 10 July 1806) was an English painter, best known for his paintings of horses. Self-trained, Stubbs learnt his skills independently from other great artists of the 18th century such as Reynolds or Gainsborough ...

. Craft exhibitions have included Kate Malone, Junko Mori and Hiroshi Suzuki. The Craft Shop stocks work by over 300 makers. The Gallery building is situated in courtyard gardens, adjacent to the 5th Duke's extensive

kitchen garden The traditional kitchen garden, vegetable garden, also known as a potager (from the French ) or in Scotland a kailyaird, is a space separate from the rest of the residential garden – the ornamental plants and lawn areas. It is used for grow ...

. This garden was modelled after "the seventeen acre royal walled gardens in Windsor Great Park. Not to be outdone, the Duke of Portland enclosed twenty two acres". The kitchen garden walls are still present, and Dukeries Garden Centre is situated within the walls. Some of the original Victorian glasshouses can be seen in the garden centre. The car park for The Harley Gallery is located in the area of the Kitchen Garden that was known as "California" - being the warmest, sunniest area. The courtyard gardens also contain the Welbeck Farm Shop and the Limehouse Cafe. The cafe building was converted from the Lime House, which was used in the production of the gas, which was then stored in large circular gasometers- the circular shapes can still be seen in the courtyard.

Events and education

Harley Art and Food Market and Harley Open Studios is an annual, key event in the Gallery's calendar. The Gallery and Foundation provide an educational programme of events, including workshops for primary school children, lectures on art history, and work with local students.

The Harley Foundation Studios

The Harley Foundation Studios are workspaces close to the Harley Gallery, which are used by a wide variety of artists and craftspeople. Studio artists have included conservators, fine artists, photographers, textile artists, ceramicists, printmakers and sculptors. The studios are open to the public once a year, as part of the Harley Art and Food Market and Open Studios.

History and architecture

Situated inside what was the Welbeck Estate's extensive kitchen gardens built by the 5th Duke of Portland, the Harley Studios have been built within the "Tan Gallop", and on the sites of the cucumber and pineapple pits - the latter - "Pineapple Place" designed by John Outram.

Support for artists

The Harley Foundation provides "craftspeople and artists affordable working space in peaceful surroundings". The Foundation also operates an "incubator space" for new artists, to assist them in setting up their practice, and grant-aid.

Portland Collection

The Portland Collection opened in 2016 adjacent to The Harley Gallery. This gallery space shows works from the historical fine and decorative art collection of the

Cavendish-Bentinck Cavendish-Bentinck is a surname associated with the Dukes of Portland and their descendants. Bentinck is a Dutch surname brought to England by William Bentinck, an advisor to William III of England. Cavendish was added to the family name by ...

family, "one of Britain’s largest aristocratic art collections".

History and architecture

The Portland Collection was designed by Hugh Broughton Architects, and was named RIBA East Midlands Building of the Year in 2016. The new gallery is housed within the walls of the Victorian "Tan Gallop", a redundant structure previously used for training racehorses.

Exhibitions

The Portland Collection contains two galleries and a glazed entrance pavilion. The gallery spaces show displays from the Collection, which "offers important works – among them,

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was insp ...

's ''The Madonna of Silence'',

van Dyck Sir Anthony van Dyck (, many variant spellings; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Brabantian Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Southern Netherlands and Italy. The seventh c ...

's ''First Earl of Strafford'', equestrian studies by

, and portraits by

John Singer Sargent John Singer Sargent (; January 12, 1856 – April 14, 1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian-era luxury. He created roughly 900 oil paintings and more ...

. And these are supported by glittering ducal valuables and curios, including the Portland Tiara and the pearl earring worn by Charles I at his execution in 1649." Displays change every three years, with some pieces, such as works on paper and miniature portraits, changing more frequently. The Portland Tiara was stolen from the Harley Gallery in November 2018.

References

{{authority control Art museums and galleries in Nottinghamshire Arts organisations based in the United Kingdom Tourist attractions in Nottinghamshire Art museums established in 1994 Charities based in England 1994 establishments in England