Conor Davies
Leicester’s renowned German Expressionism artwork collection is the biggest in the UK.
New Walk Museum & Art Gallery houses almost 500 artworks, the first acquisition dating back to 1944 and many works were brought to these shores by refugee artists and collectors.
Artists such as Marc, Kadinsky and Heckel feature prominently in the collection, whilst those influenced by the Expressionism movement add to the collection.
Visitor Peter Allen, 66, said: “I think the collection is excellent, it marks a very important period of time and it is crucial we remember what happened all those years ago.
“It’s also impressive that Leicester houses such work, I for one have visited the city to admire this work and I will be coming back.”
Funding for the collection comes from a combination of the Art Fund, The V&A Purchase Grant Fund and the City of Leicester Museums Trust, with support coming from Arts England to re-display the collection.
Fellow visitor Sarah Little added: “I didn’t know much about the art of the period, but it is amazing to see the work here in person.”
In celebration, the first in a series of events being held on the subject of the artwork is taking place on Sunday October 26, at 2.30pm.
“Expressionism: Total Artwork” a curators talk, is an illustrated talk exploring the history of the art collection, with tickets costing £3.50, call 0116 2554900 for more information.
As part of the re-display, a website has been launched, presenting the collection online for the first time, visit http://www.germanexpressionismleicester.org/.
