A UNIQUE collaboration between the National Gallery and Southampton City Art Gallery will reopen the gallery in Southampton tomorrow.

Running until Thursday September 2, it is the first exhibition to explore the story of the National Gallery’s role in the creation of Southampton’s collection. 

The exhibition twins outstanding works from Southampton’s collection with paintings from the National Gallery.

There will be works by artists including Monet, Gainsborough, Maggi Hambling and Paula Rego. 

This will be the first set of loans on such a large scale to be made by the National Gallery to a regional gallery in nearly a decade.

The historical links between the two galleries are significant, but little known. 

This fruitful relationship was established when Cllr Robert Chipperfield (1817–1911), whose bequest led to the creation of the collection and the Art Gallery in Southampton, ensured that future acquisitions would be of a national calibre. 
Chipperfield had the foresight to stipulate that all purchases using his trust fund should be undertaken in consultation with the Director of the National Gallery. 

Kenneth Clark, newly installed as the National Gallery’s Director in 1934 took a particularly active interest in advising Southampton on acquisitions.
He wrote its first formal collecting policy in 1936, which essentially remains in place today.

The two institutions have worked in partnership as part of the current 2019–21 National Gallery Curatorial Traineeship programme.

That is supported by the Art Fund with the assistance of the Vivmar Foundation, with Curatorial Trainee, Jemma Craig, leading on a project to explore this dynamic and ongoing collaboration.

A major publication will accompany the exhibition which will tell the fascinating history of Southampton City Art Gallery, and its relationship with the National Gallery.

It will use untapped archive material and new oral histories.

The exhibition and publication have been organised by Southampton City Art Gallery in partnership with the National Gallery.

Dr Gabriele Finaldi, director of the National Gallery, said: “We are absolutely delighted to celebrate this moment in our two histories.

 “The visionary collaboration between the National Gallery and Southampton City Art Gallery at its founding  is at the heart of this story, creating such an important collection for the benefit of the public. 

“We are proud to be part of this story.”

Dr Gabriele Finaldi, Director of the National Gallery, said: “We are absolutely delighted to celebrate this moment in our two histories.

"The visionary collaboration between the National Gallery and Southampton City Art Gallery at its founding is at the heart of this story, creating such an important collection for the benefit of the public.

"We are proud to be part of this story.”