Visitor Notice:

The Pottery Gallery will be closed on Tuesday 22, Monday 28, Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 April for maintenance. We apologise for any disappointment caused.

A painting of a white snowy landscape with a small brown building to the left of the scene.

Exhibitions

Sheila Fell: Cumberland on Canvas

23 Apr – 28 Jun 2025

Quick summary

Price: Free
Venue: Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens

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Event description

Sheila Fell: Cumberland on Canvas is the first major retrospective of Fell’s work in over thirty years. The exhibition brings together 100 works from private and public collections across the country from the likes of Tate, National Portrait Gallery, Royal Academy and Abbot Hall.

The exhibition will explore Cumberland as Fell’s source of artistic inspiration, her childhood in Aspatria, her artistic development at Carlisle School of Art followed by St. Martin’s School of Art, Fell’s recognition as an important female artist, her relationships and her legacy.

This is a touring exhibition from Tullie, Carlisle, curated by Eleanor and Andrew Bradley. Further support comes from Weston Loan Programme with Art Fund, and The Granada Foundation.

About Sheila Fell

Sheila Fell RA FRSA (1931 – 1979) was one of Cumbria’s most significant artists. Championed by Lowry, her expressionist landscapes showed her native Cumberland beyond the pastoral and picturesque. Though she lived her adult life in London, it was her birthplace that served as inspiration throughout her career.

A contemporary and friend of Frank Auerbach, Leon Kossoff and others, she graduated from Saint Martin’s School of Art. Her artworks are frequently dark and brooding, informed by painting trips during her regular visits to stay at her family home in Aspatria. She was elected to membership of the Royal Academy in 1974 and is regarded as one of the foremost British landscape artists of the mid-20th century.