Norwich Castle opened a new exhibition this weekend marking the 70th anniversary of the Norfolk Contemporary Art Society. Titled Seven Decades of Contemporary Art, it spotlights works the society helped the castle acquire since its start in 1956.
Featured works and artists
- LS Lowry’s Landscape with Farm Buildings (1954), the purchase that sparked the society’s founding.
- Prunella Clough’s Man entering a Boiler House, the first piece bought by members.
- Colin Self, Bridget Riley, and Roger Ackling.
- Newer additions like Florence Peake’s figurative paintings.
- Photographs by Daniel & Clara on imagined stories in a country estate.
- Robert Filby and Glen Jamieson’s Wall Existing, a photo series of Norwich’s medieval city walls.
More than 30 pieces fill out the show.
Lisa Newby, the castle’s curator of modern and contemporary art, said members helped build the collections. “This exhibition celebrates their contribution,” she added.
Selwyn Taylor, the society’s chair, sees it as a bridge to the future. He noted plans for talks and events through 2026 to honor past supporters while pushing contemporary art forward.
The show runs at Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery until February 2027. Details come from reports in the Eastern Daily Press and Yahoo News UK.