Graves Art Gallery

Graves Art Gallery
Surrey Street
Sheffield
South Yorkshire
S1 1XZ

Telephone

0114 278 2600

	Graves Art Gallery
	Art
	Exhibitions
	Modern Art
	Metalwork
	Sheffield Art Galleries

(Telephone from outside UK - +44 114 278 2600)

Opening Times
Monday – Saturday 10am – 5pm

Admission - FREE

Graves Art Gallery

The Graves Art Gallery is in the centre of Sheffield above the Central Library and close to the Millennium Galleries. It shows permanent displays from the city’s collections of 19th and 20th century British and European Art as well as an exciting programme of temporary exhibitions.

The collection encapsulates the story of the development of Modern Art. The main trends and movements are traced through works by many well-known artists, from Pablo Picasso and Pierre Bonnard to Sir Stanley Spencer and Helen Chadwick.

The Graves Art Gallery opened in 1934 thanks to the financial support of local business man John George Graves, who made his fortune out of one of the country’s first mail order businesses. Graves also presented his wide ranging and important art collection to the city. This went on display in the gallery.

The Graves Art Gallery has always shown temporary exhibitions alongside the permanent displays, a policy established by the first Director John Rothenstein, who later went on to become Director of the Tate Gallery.

In 2001 the Graves Art Gallery was refurbished and the galleries restored to their original condition. The gallery’s 1930s splendour continues to provide a perfect setting in which visitors can enjoy the permanent displays and temporary exhibitions.

CUPOLA ART GALLERY
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SITE GALLERY

Visiting Information

Café
The gallery café is open Monday - Saturday 10am - 4pm.

Shop
The shop in the reception area stocks an excellent range of greeting cards, gift wrap, art magazines, crafts and gifts.

Access for Visitors with Disabilities
Wheelchair access is currently being improved. Please phone the gallery prior to your visit for further information.

How to Get Here
The Graves Art Gallery is situated in the centre of Sheffield above the Central Library and is close to the Millennium Galleries and the Crucible and Lyceum Theatres.

On foot: The gallery is 10 minutes walk from the train station. Leave the station and walk up the hill by Sheffield Hallam University. Cross Arundel Gate and go up the pedestrian walkway to Surrey Street.

Parking: The nearest NCP car park is by the Crucible Theatre and is reached from Arundel Gate.

Sheffield Galleries & Museums Trust was established in April 1998 to take over the management of the non-industrial museums and art galleries in Sheffield from the City Council. It is responsible for the Millennium Galleries, Graves Art Gallery, Weston Park Museum site and Bishops’ House.

Sheffield Galleries & Museums Trust is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee. A Board of Trustees has ultimate responsibility for policies, plans and the performance of the Trust. Sheffield City Council has undertaken to provide an annual grant of over £2 million to fund the bulk of the operational costs of the Trust.

Our Mission Statement

Sheffield Galleries & Museums Trust is committed to enriching the lives of its audiences by:
Providing imaginative exhibitions and displays of regional, national and international importance of interest to local people and visitors to the city.
Developing innovative approaches to interpretation, education and enhancing public access.
Providing exceptional customer service.
Caring for, preserving and developing the collections.

Sheffield has a rich and varied collection of over 5,000 paintings, watercolours, prints, drawings, photographs and sculpture that portray the development of British and European art from the 17th century to the present day.

The Modern British Collection is one of the most important in the country outside of the Tate Gallery. It includes works by many of Britain’s most significant 20th century artists including Gwen John, Sir Stanley Spencer, David Bomberg, Henry Moore, Frank Auerbach and John Hoyland.

Paintings by artists such as Cezanne and Bonnard are included in the European 20th Century collection. Other key artists, including Dali, Miro, Picasso, Schiele, Toulouse-Lautrec and Vuillard, are represented by works on paper.

The development of painting in the 18th and 19th centuries is illustrated through the works of a number of significant artists. These include Thomas Gainsborough, JMW Turner, Tissot and the Pre-Raphaelite artists Burne-Jones, Rossetti and Millais.

Significant works by English, Spanish, Dutch and Italian 16th century painters are the oldest in the city’s collection. These Old Masters include Jan Mytens, Morales, Ribera, Murillo, Proccaccini and Pittoni.

At the Graves Art Gallery you can see the development of Modern Art, from the mid 19th to the late 20th century. Other works from the collection were on display at the Mappin Art Gallery, which is currently closed for redevelopment.

Only a small part of the collection is on show at any one time. Access to the collection will increase in the future when it will be available on line.

A Taste of the Collection

Portrait of Vrou Johanna de Witt (1638)
oil on panel - Michiel van Mierevelt (1567-1641)

Margaret Brooke, Lady Denham
oil on canvas - Sir Peter Lely (1618-80

Bassin du Jas du Bouffan (1873-6)
oil on canvas - Paul Cezanne (1839-1906)

To Let or The Landlady (1856)
oil on canvas - John Collinson (1825-81)

The Misses Vickers (1884)
oil on canvas - John Singer Sargent (1856-1925)

The Eating House
oil on canvas - Harold Gilman (1876-1919)

The Infant Christ Asleep on the Cross
oil on canvas - Bartolome Esteban Murillo (1617-82)

Les Ambassadeurs
lithograph- Henri de Toulouse Lautrec (1864-1901)

Blessing the Sea (1872)
oil on canvas - Alphonse Legros (1837-1911)

The Decorative Arts Collection is made up of beautiful objects that were made to be admired or used. It includes metalwork, ceramics, glass, clocks and the Grice collection of ivories. The largest and most important part of the collection is metalwork.

The Decorative Arts Collection includes pottery from local factories such as Rockingham and Pinxton as well as examples from Worcester, Derby, Wedgwood and Leeds. There are some beautiful Dutch pieces commemorating the Restoration, apothecary jars once used by pharmacists and a 17th century slipware (decorative lead glazed earthenware) collection. Other commemorative pieces mark the Sheffield Flood or celebrate famous figures including Nelson, Queen Caroline and John Wesley. The influence of China and Japan can be seen in Oriental ceramics made in this country in the 19th century.
There are around 500 pieces of glass in the collection, many of which are from South Yorkshire factories such as Catcliffe. There are also some large 17th Century German beakers with painted designs.

A Taste of the Collection

Flood Plate
Holmes Pottery, Rotherham, 1864 White pottery plate with green printed view lettered ‘Sheffield Flood March 12th 1864. Daniel Chapmans house at Little Matlock'.

Derby Vase
Derby Porcelain 1811-49
Porcelain vase, bell shaped with two loop handles arising from Satyr’s masks. Painted panel "View on the Welsh Coast" by G. Lucas on one side and painted bouquet of flowers on the reverse. Mark of BLOOR DERBY with a crown.

Greek Spode Sauce Dish
Spode Pottery, Staffordshire, late 18th Century
Sauce boat with lid, covered with blue printing of classical scenes, known as ‘Greek pattern’

Oriental Bowl
Worcester Porcelain, 18th Century
Porcelain basin decorated with painted Chinese figure and scenes

Black Flower Candlesticks
Davenport Pottery, circa 1860
Pair of white pottery candlesticks with painted flowers on a black background.

Wesley Teapot
Castleford Pottery, late 18th Century
Octagonal teapot with portrait of John Wesley on two sides. Swan mounted on lid.

The Ruskin Collection, also known as the Guild of St George Collection, was originally formed by the influential Victorian artist, writer and critic John Ruskin as an educational resource for the people of Sheffield. It was first displayed in the Museum of St George at Walkley in 1875.


Over 900 paintings, watercolours and drawings by artists such as Thomas Matthew Rooke, John Wharlton Bunney and Charles Fairfax Murray provide a visual record of images central to Ruskin’s mind and thought. It includes images of the French Cathedral towns, Swiss rural scenes and Italian architecture and townscapes, as well as copies of paintings after the Venetian masters (usually details) including Carpaccio, Tintoretto, Tiepolo, Giorgioni, Bellini, Veronese and Titian.

There are twenty six works by Ruskin himself, ranging from sketches and studies after other artists, such as Turner and Carpaccio, to finished original works.

The collection includes mineral specimens that Ruskin acquired on his European travels, many of which are specifically referred to in catalogues and handbooks written by Ruskin.

There are over 6,300 ornithological prints by artists such as Edward Lear, John Gould and JJ Audubon and twelve Medieval manuscripts dating from the 13th to the 16th century, the smallest of which is the De Croy Book of Hours decorated by the renowned French illustrator Jean Fouquet.

The Ruskin Library contains books such as Flora Londinensis, Flora Danica and Thomas Bewick’s British Birds, which has been extensively annotated by Ruskin. It also includes Ruskin’s own prolific output.

Ruskin commissioned over thirty plastercasts from the Ducal Palace, St Marks in Venice and the North West door of Rouen Cathedral, France. These casts are now the only physical evidence remaining of the condition of the buildings in the 1870s.

The Ruskin Collection is a unique snapshot of the 19th century that remains relevant to the modern world, illustrating the enduring legacy of Ruskin’s ideas.

The Ruskin Collection is displayed in the Ruskin Gallery in the Millennium Galleries.

West Front of St Marks
JW Bunney 1870

Study of a Peacock’s Breast Feather
watercolour 1873 – John Ruskin

Missal Album of Lady Diana de Croy (Horae) Anon
French16th century

Spray of Dead Oak Leaves
John Ruskin 1879

Study of Carpaccio’s St George and the Dragon
John Ruskin 1872

Common Daisy Bellis Perennis from Flora Londinensis
hand coloured engraving published 1777, artist unknown

The Social History collections contain thousands of objects representing the everyday and exceptional lives of local people from around 1500 to the present. It aims to cover all aspects of the domestic and social lives of those for whom Sheffield is home.

The range of items in the collection is vast, from small personal objects to entire shop interiors. These include a 1960s hair salon, a traditional butcher’s shop and Preston’s c1900 chemists which stood on the corner of West Street and Mappin Street in Sheffield until the 1980s..

There are relics from the Crimean War and the First and Second World Wars including letters, pin badges, ration books, gas masks and uniforms.

Toys, from teddy bears and dolls to card games, jigsaws, farmyards, lead animals and clockwork toys, show how children have played through the years.

Costumes, sewing machines, theatre posters and programmes, typewriters, samplers and domestic equipment are just a selection of the many items in the collection that reveal how people lived in the distant and recent past.

There are also over 1,000 topographical paintings, prints and drawings of Sheffield and the surrounding area dating from around 1750 to the present day. This collection provides a unique visual record of Sheffield’s dramatic transition from country idyll to urban sprawl.

We are currently unable to handle individual enquiries relating to the collections or object identification. For further useful contacts in the region click here.

Sheffield Galleries & Museums is actively collecting from contemporary life with local community projects including ourselves ourplace. For more information about the project visit www.ourselvesourplace.org.uk

A Taste of the Collection

Teddy Bears
Teddy bears dating from the 1920s and 1930s
These teddy bears are on loan from private collectors. They were greatly loved childhood companions as can be seen from their ragged and worn out condition.

Salter Silver and Copper Checker
These scales date from the late 19th or early 20th century. They were used in banks and shops to weigh and count money more quickly than doing so by hand. Banks still use a modern version of these scales today.

Toys from the 1970s and 80s
These toys dating from the 1970s and 80s are typical of the period. The model of ET on the right shows how popular film characters are used to create a whole additional range of merchandise.

Preston’s Chemist Shop
Preston’s Chemist shop was situated opposite the Royal Hospital in Sheffield. It dates from the early 1900s and remained open until the 1970s, when it was acquired for the collection. The shop is currently in storage but is expected to be on permanent display following the redevelopment of the museum in 2005.
Apothecary Set
This apothecary set dates from the 1880s. It may have belonged to a doctor or but it is more likely that it was owned by a well-to-do family.

Clock
This clock dates from the 1670s and is on display in Bishops' House. The maker is unknown.

The archaeology collection consists of physical remains from different periods which give us a better understanding of how our ancestors lived.

Visit our new idigsheffield site to discover more about the collection and the latest discoveries in South Yorkshire and the Peak District.

Sheffield’s collection dates from the Palaeolithic age (about half million years ago) to the19th century and includes material from all over world. It is particularly strong in Neolithic, Bronze Age and Anglo-Saxon grave groups from the local region.

Some of the most significant items in the collection were excavated by Thomas Bateman (1841-1861) in the Peak District, on the outskirts of Sheffield. It includes Anglo-Saxon burial assemblages, most notably the Benty Grange Helmet, the first Anglo-Saxon helmet to be found in Britain. A replica of the helmet was made in 1986 using similar materials and techniques to those available to the 7th century makers to recreate what the original may have looked like when it was new.

We are currently unable to handle individual enquiries relating to the collections or object identification.

A Taste of the Collection

2 sword hilts
Left: 9th century sword found in the River Witham. The hilt and pommel are decorated by silver strips with Trewiddle style animal designs.
Right: 10th century sword from the River Idle, with silver sheeting with geometric designs on the pommel and guard.

Sumo wrestlers
Life sized wood carving made by a Japanese artist Hannanuma around 1890. Represents a famous bout between two Samurai warriors, Matano Goro and Kawatso Saburo, which took place in 1176.

Roman glass beaker
Glass beaker from eastern Mediterranean. 4th to 6th century.

Greek bowl
A Skyphos in Attic Red-figure ware. 500-300 BC.

Late Iron Age necklace
Late Iron Age Celtic torc or neck ring, bronze, found near Sheffield. 1st century AD.

Anglo Saxon beads
Group of Anglo-Saxon glass beads from burial sites in the Peak District.

medieval statue
Carved stone head of a male cleric from Beauchief Abbey. 13th or 14th century.

flint hand axe
Palaeolithic handaxe from Boscombe, c.200,000 years old

harpoon head
Cast of a barbed harpoon head, original in reindeer antler found at La Madelaine rock shelter in France in 1863, Upper Palaeolithic, c.30,000BC.

Sheffield's extensive natural history collection contains a wide variety of animals and plants.

The botany collection dates back to the late 1700s. It includes marine algae and hundreds of species of plants, many of which are from the Yorkshire and Derbyshire regions.

There are over 6,000 vertebrate specimens including, mounted skins, study skins, freeze-dried specimens, deep-frozen specimens, wet-preserved material, casts and eggs. Much of this material is historical, dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The majority of specimens are European, but African, Indian and Australian birds and mammals are also represented.

There are over 2,000 skeletons, including a good selection of British material, of which the bird collection is regionally outstanding.

The collection of over 90,000 invertebrate specimens grows each year. it consists primarily of insects, molluscs and myriapods, including extensive series of British butterflies and moths.

A Taste of the Collection

Barn Owl (Tyto alba)
A medium sized, pale owl which sits in a very upright position. Found throughout Europe except in the extreme north. The Barn Owl has special adaptations to its feathers so that it can fly silently and take its prey by surprise.

Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)
The largest living species of bear. Unmistakable due to its size and white coat.Found in the Arctic Circle.
Although most of the polar bear is extremely well camouflaged in the arctic, its black nose can be seen from 6 miles away through binoculars on a clear day.
Long Eared Bat (Plecotus auritus)
A medium sized bat with enormous ears found in most of Europe except extreme northern regions.

Long Eared Bats are also called whispering bats, as their echolocation is so quiet. Their big ears allow them to hear the movement of the insects they hunt.
Lesser Flamingo (Phoenicopterus minor)
Found in Southern Spain and France, also regular escapees from wildfowl reserves in Britain
Flamingos use their unusual down-turned beaks for filtering food from the water. They get their pink colouration from the shrimp that they eat.

Indian Python (Python molurus molurus)
Indian pythons may grow as large as 6 metres. Pythons are not poisonous, but crush their prey to death by constriction.

Stick Insects (Phasmida)
The foreign insect collection contains a wide variety of colourful and bizarre forms. These are some of the Bragg collection of stick insects.

Soldier Flies (Stratiomys potamida)
The collection contains over 17,000 flies, the majority of which have been gathered locally as part of ecological surveys. Such surveys provide the information which helps to protect our local habitats.

Adonis butterflies (Lysandra bellargus)
Both the upper and under side of male and female specimens are shown. This series shows several unusual ‘aberrations’ in appearance of this species.

Puffer Fish (Tetraodontidae)
From the Tetraodontidae family, also known as the Blowfish or Fugu. A medium sized fish, which, when threatened puffs itself up to the size of a ball, with sticking out spines. It is found in the Pacific Ocean, Sea of Japan and East China sea.

The Puffer fish is considered a delicacy but must be prepared by specially trained chefs as it contains a deadly poison. The gonads, liver and intestines accumulate a toxin which is 1250 times more deadly than cyanide….. And there is no known antidote!

There are more than 40,000 rocks, fossils and minerals in the geology collection. These originate from all over the world and contain rarities such as native platinum and meteorites, as well as excellent reference collections from the Sheffield region.

The principal strengths of the collection are the rocks, fossils and minerals of South Yorkshire, minerals of the South Pennine ore-field, Carboniferous Limestone fossils of Derbyshire and Pleistocene mammal bones from Derbyshire.

The collections are presently housed at the City Museum and a small proportion of these form the displays in the Evolution Gallery. The first part of the gallery introduces the formation of Earth, the genesis and composition of rocks and minerals and the evolution of the main animal and plant groups. The second part of the gallery concentrates on the changing prehistoric geography of Sheffield and its region. Evidence can be seen of past environments ranging from tropical seas to glaciers and permafrost. The displays are supplemented by a huge array of local rocks, fossils and minerals, including Derbyshire Blue John and Limestone fossils, along with huge tree fossils from the Sheffield Coal Measures.
The Graves Art Gallery has a history dating
back to 1934. The centrally located gallery often plays host to touring exhibitions as well as the city's Modern Art collection.

Permanent collections
Towards Modern Art: Europe 1850 - 1950

A collection of paintings charting the progression from classical painting to the less reserved Impressionism. The selection includes works by Toulouse-Lautrec, Bonnard and Corot.

Key developments in photography portrayed through the unrivalled nineteenth and twentieth century collections of the Royal Photographic Society.

A selection of more than 30 small scale works selected from a private collection concentrating on British art from between the wars.

About the Metalwork Collection
Sheffield’s Metalwork Collection contains over 12,000 objects that illustrate the city’s heritage as a world leader in the production of cutlery and domestic and decorative metalwork. It includes silver, pewter, stainless steel, Old Sheffield Plate, Britannia Metal, iron and steel.

The collection has been awarded Designated status by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. This means that it is recognised as being of national significance and is the best collection of its kind in this country and almost certainly the world.

The collection dates from the 14th century to the present day. There are unique, handcrafted one-off pieces and examples of the mass-produced cutlery for which Sheffield has an international reputation, including examples by many of the city’s prominent makers.

Over 800 objects are on permanent display in the Metalwork Gallery in the Millennium Galleries.

We are currently unable to handle individual enquiries relating to the collections or object identification, details of useful contacts below.

Our education team offer a range of teaching resources aimed at schools, colleges and groups of adult learners to help you explore and enjoy our collections and exhibitions. From this site you will be able to view a comprehensive programme of workshops and teaching resources which are regularly updated.

If you require any further assistance in planning your visit please contact the Education department.

To make a booking simply download the school booking form (Acrobat PDF file) from our website.

Sheffield Galleries & Museums Trust is a registered charity which seeks to open up and encourage exploration of the city's nonindustrial collections – over 1,000,000 objects and artefacts spanning history and the world.

The collections are displayed alongside a vibrant programme of exhibitions and activities at four galleries and museums managed by the Trust; the award winning Millennium Galleries, Graves Art Gallery, Bishops' House and Weston Park Museum. Since its formation in 1998 the Trust has attracted major investment in the city's cultural assets and achieved a great deal to enrich people's lives – with the help of our Friends we can do so much more.
Support us by joining the Friends Membership Scheme and enjoy excellent benefits for you, your friends and family.

FRIENDS BENEFITS

Unlimited free entry to special exhibitions in the Millennium Galleries
Generous discounts on a wide programme of events and activities
10% discount in the museum and gallery shops
The guide delivered direct to your home three times per year
Regular mailings of other Trust information
Special offers on exhibitions at the V&A museum and use of their newly opened Members' Room
Free months membership when you join by Direct Debit

FRIENDS IN DEED!

Join the Friends and take an active part in supporting innovative fundraising projects. Members work with Trust staff to acquire new objects for the collections and conserve precious art and artefacts for future generations to enjoy. A new exciting campaign will be launched in Spring 2005 with the opportunity for Friends to get directly involved by donating their time and money.

TYPES OF MEMBERSHIP

Individual Annual Membership £25
Individual Concession Membership £20
Concession membership is available for senior citizens, full time students and people receiving unemployment benefit.

Friend +1 £35
We recognise that our members often like to visit with different friends and relations so we have introduced the flexible Friend +1 membership. You enjoy all the benefits of being a Friend but you can also bring another person with you to visit special exhibitions for free and take part in a range of activities with the Friends discount.

HOW TO JOIN

You can join the Friends Membership Scheme at any of our sites in person or by filling in this form and sending it to the
Friends Administrator, Sheffield Galleries & Museums Trust,
Leader House, Surrey Street, Sheffield, S1 2LH.

Local Studies Library (general local history information)
Central Library
Surrey Street
Sheffield
S1 1XZ
0114 2734753
local.studies@dial.pipex.com
Open Monday 10-20.00
Open Tuesday – Saturday 9.30-17.30

South Yorkshire Archives (specific local history & family archives)
52 Shoreham Street
Sheffield
S1 4SP
0114 2734756
0114 2039395
Open Monday 10-17.30
Open Tuesday-Thursday 9.30-17.30
Open Saturday 9-1300
Closed Friday
Open Sunday 14.00-17.00

• For information related to heavy industry, cutlery and silverware industry and tools:

The Arts & Social Sciences Library
Central Library
Surrey Street
Sheffield
S1 1XZ
0114 2734711

Kelham Island Museum
Off Alma Street
Sheffield
S3 8RY
0114 2722106
Open Sunday 11-16.45
Open Monday to Thursday 10-1600
(Enquiries BY APPOINTMENT ONLY)

Fire & Police Museum
101-109 West Bar
Sheffield
S3 8PT
www.hedgepig.freeserve.co.uk
0114 2491999
Open Sundays 11-17.00

• Sheffield Bus Museum
Tinsley Tram Sheds
Sheffield Road
Tinsley
Sheffield S9 2FY
0114 2553010
www.sheffieldbusmuseum.com
Open Saturday & Sunday afternoons.

South Yorkshire Archaeology Service
Planning Transport & Highways
Howden House
1 Union Street
Sheffield
S1 2SH
0114 2736428

Derbyshire Sires & Monuments Record
Planning & Highways Department
County Offices
Matlock
Derbyshire
DE4 3AG
01629 580000

Peter Robinson
Doncaster Museum & Art Gallery
Chequer Road
Doncaster
01302 734293

For more information email Graves Art Gallery directly via the contact form below.