Explore Bath’s art and culture at one of the many art galleries and museums. Take a look at this list to get a taste of the places to visit during your stay in Bath:
No.1 Royal Crescent
14th September – 23rd February
Being There
Come and see No.1 Royal Crescent’s new exhibition Being There, featuring four recently acquired Thomas Gainsborough portraits. The exhibition is the first in The Gallery. No.1 Royal Crescent’s ambitious new programme of contemporary art exhibitions.
The four Gainsborough paintings will be presented as key components of a kaleidoscopic group exhibition of portraiture featuring 18 contemporary British artists selected by guest curator Ingrid Swenson MBE.
The Holburne Museum
16th September – 12th January
Neon Dreams: Chila Kumari Singh Burman
This autumn, the Holburne presents Neon Dreams, an installation by Chila Kumari Singh Burman, a contemporary British artist with a widely recognised practice shaped by popular media, history and punjabi cultural identity.
Taking centre stage in the Ballroom is a three dimensional, life size sculpture, My Tiger Janu (2022), a reference to childhood memories of her father’s ice cream van, which was crowned with a magnificent Bengal tiger figurine in the 1960’s.
27th September – 5th January
Uncanny Visions: Paula Rego and Francisco de Goya
Both Goya and Rego have long been associated with the concept of the uncanny. Themes and imagery present in the work of both artists draw on a feeling of disconcerting and unsettling familiarity, whether through the absurdity of social rules – as observed by Goya – or the ruthlessness of childhood verses, as noted by Rego.
The Raven
23rd October – 31st December
Pint Sized – Art Circle Exhibition
The Art Circle in Bath, an inclusive group of local artists, are putting on their first exhibition this October. Located upstairs in the Raven of Bath, a historic pub on Queen Street, the playful theme of the exhibition is ‘Pint Sized’. Small, but perfectly formed, all the original art for sale is no bigger than A4, offered at only £150 each.
Opening night Wednesday 23rd October.
Free entry, all welcome. Open to view during pub opening hours
Victoria Art Gallery
13th October – 11th January
Bath Society of Artists 119th Annual Open Exhibition
The Bath Society of Artists Annual Open Exhibition has long been a highlight of Bath’s cultural calendar, bringing a vast array of artistic talent to the Victoria Art Gallery each year.
You can browse and buy from a selection of fabulous paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture and mixed media works by some of the region’s top artists, at prices to suit every pocket. You can also vote for your favourite exhibit in the Public Choice Prize.
Each year, the Bath Society of Artists invites a prominent artist to display their works in the exhibition. This year’s invited artist is sculptor Peter Randall-Page.
24th January – 21st April
Mirror of Mirth: Rowlandson & Nixon Satirise Bath
In the late 18th century, satire was all the rage in London and satirist Thomas Rowlandson was at the height of his powers. No-one among the rich and powerful was safe from his sharp wit and prolific pencil. So when summer came and the great and the good escaped to the elegant spa resort of Bath for the season, Rowlandson followed and brought his chum, John Nixon, along for the ride. Nixon, a successful merchant and amateur artist, was no stranger to satire himself. Together they laid bare the follies and foibles not only of Georgian high society, but the lower echelons bobbing in their wake as well.