Most Important Exhibition of Works

The most important exhibition of art and books ever held in the East Riding opens on 21 August.

The exhibition in the Treasure House, Beverley, attests to the generosity of the area’s great benefactor, John Edward Champney.

The Champney Centenary will celebrate the official opening of Beverley Museum and Art Gallery in 1910.

The building, now part of the Treasure House, was paid for by Champney who also gave his extensive collection of paintings and books, which are of national interest.

Councillor Stephen Parnaby OBE, leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said:

“It is thanks to Champney that many generations have had access to works of learning and beauty that would otherwise have been beyond their reach.

“His vision of a hundred years ago has been enhanced by the building of the Treasure House, funded with a generous grant of £3.9 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund, giving us a library, archive, art gallery and museum and all under one roof.”

The exhibition and associated programme of lectures and other public events are also being paid for by the fund.

Dr Gerardine Mulcahy, art gallery curator, said: “This event is expected to be a major attraction for those with an interest in one of the best collections of works in the Pre-Raphaelite mode.

“It includes the 20 paintings he bequeathed to the East Riding, six he left to the York City Art Gallery and six from Bankfield Museum in Halifax. This will be the first time they will have been brought together since the collection was broken up in 1929 after his death.”

Champney bequeathed around 4,500 volumes, or books, to the library, including valuable early editions of Charles Kinsley’s The Water Babies and a copy of Gulliver’s Travels, inscribed to Champney by the illustrator Arthur Rackham.

The public events include a series of lectures between 20 September and 8 November. Speakers include Dr John Markham, Professor Bernard Richards and Professor John Wilton-Ely.

The exhibition will run until 16 October.

The Treasure House – Champney Road, Beverley, East Yorkshire, HU17 9BA – 01482 392790