Expressionist Spirit: Early 20th Century German Art at Leicester
Gallery 14, New Walk Museum & Art Gallery
The permanent gallery celebrates a remarkable collection of German Expressionist Art. Founded in Leicester during the dark days of war, and now with over 350 artworks, the collection is acclaimed as the finest of its kind in the UK. The permanent gallery display shows a selection of the collection.
The initial collection began with works acquired from the groundbreaking exhibition ‘Mid-European Art’, which took place at the museum in 1944. The exhibition featured unique works from private collections, which had been brought to England and safety by refugee artists and collectors.
Expressionist artists sought to liberate powerful emotions in their art, which they believed lay beneath the surface appearance of everyday life. Artists in the collection include Marc, Kandinsky, Münter, Heckel, Kirchner, Jawlensky and Schmidt-Rottluff. Artists preceding, or influenced by Expressionism also enrich the collection, including Liebermann, Feininger, Kollwitz and Grosz.
Funding support for works in the collection has been received from The Art Fund, The V&A Purchase Grant Fund and the City of Leicester Museums Trust.
