Caption: J M W Turner's Lonely Dell Wharfedale
The profile of Leeds is being raised as museums worldwide house regional treasures in their exhibitions.
In 2008, Leeds museums lent 178 items to 17 international venues and 45 venues in the United Kingdom. New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art borrowed ‘Lonely Dell, Wharfedale’ by Turner, which later toured Washington and Dallas, whilst The Getty in Los Angeles played host to ten items of furniture and sculpture from Temple Newsam House.
In Europe, Paris housed two sculptures in the Musee d’Orsay including ‘Flenite Relief’ and ‘Marie Rankin’ by Jacob Epstein. Other important European cultural cities such as Amsterdam, Munich, Vienna, Dublin and Madrid have also borrowed items for exhibitions.
High profile British museums, the National Portrait Gallery and the V&A, loaned paintings and sculptures including ‘The Hope Venus’ by Canova and ‘Pair of Greyhounds’ by Decaix.
More recently the Tate Britain showcased five paintings on loan from Leeds, one entitled ‘Leeds Canal’ by Charles Ginner.
Locally, items of social and natural history connected to Leeds are regularly loaned out to other regional museums. This differs to the majority of national and international requests received, which are for paintings or sculptures.
This wide ranging collection includes items of national history, fine art, industrial history and costume and textiles, all of which have been designated as collections of national and international significance.
Councillor John Proctor, executive member for leisure said:
“I am delighted that the success of our museums has resulted in a worldwide demand for the rich historical treasures and artefacts of Leeds. This is great for the profile of our city, promoting us to a new audience as a must visit cultural destination. Leeds has a rich heritage, which is now being shared with, and enjoyed by, people around the world.
“We are proud to house our vast collection in nine different venues in Leeds, which we believe rivals other cultural cities in the north. With the city’s resources in demand the reputation of Leeds as a cultural centre, both nationally and internationally, is undeniable.”
Collections have been lent to other cities including Rome, Beijing, Lisbon, Toronto and Helsinki.
ENDS
Additional information
Image attached - for one time use only in conjunction with this press release. Copyright Leeds Museums and Galleries.
J M W Turner's Lonely Dell Wharfedale can currently be seen at Temple Newsam House in the Watercolour Masterpieces of the Northern Landscape exhibition. It was painted in c. 1815, and was bought by Leeds City Council in 1956 with help from the National Art Collections Fund.
Sometimes given the duller title of 'A Rocky Pool with Heron and Kingfisher'. The exact location has never been identified but it was probably one of the many sketches made from Farnley Hall during Turner's annual visits to Yorkshire.
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Claire Macklam, Leeds City Council Press Office (0113) 395 1578
email: claire.macklam@leeds.gov.uk
