Love & Landscape: Stanley Spencer in Suffolk
A major exhibition of the works of one of England’s greatest twentieth-century painters
Location
Gainsborough's House, 46 Gainsborough Street, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 2EU
Telephone
01787 372958- Next Event
- 15th November 10:00am - 15th November 4:30pm
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About this event
Gainsborough’s House is partnering with Stanley Spencer Gallery to present a major exhibition of the works of one of England’s greatest twentieth-century painters, Sir Stanley Spencer (1891–1959).
The exhibition will include major loans from Tate, Aberdeen Art Gallery, Leeds Museums and Galleries, and other public lenders, as well as rarely-seen works from private collections. Stanley Spencer is one of the most important and original artists in twentieth-century British art. He lived for most of his life in his native village of Cookham, which played a large part in the subject matter of his paintings.
Spencer’s art was rooted in both his relationships and deep sense of place. Drawing on new research, this exhibition will explore Spencer’s personal relationships and artistic development through his visits to Suffolk in the 1920s and 1930s. Spencer married fellow artist, Hilda Carline, in Wangford, Suffolk. The couple were joined on their honeymoon by Stanley’s brother Gilbert, who had introduced them. The previous year, Hilda, her brother–the artist Richard Carline–and Stanley had all stayed in Wangford, where their artistic practice and personal relationships developed in tandem.
This major exhibition curated in collaboration with the Stanley Spencer Gallery will focus on the artist’s work in Suffolk, where he married Hilda Carline in 1925, and returned to a decade later.
The exhibition runs from November 15, 2025 – March 22, 2026.
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About the Venue
Gainsborough’s House is the national centre for Thomas Gainsborough and it holds the most comprehensive collection of his work in a single setting. A varied programme of temporary exhibitions is also on show throughout the year. Visitor’s gift shop, café and garden are also available as part of the museum experience.
Gainsborough’s House is the childhood home of Thomas Gainsborough RA (1727–1788). Today, the permanent collection of Gainsborough's House encompasses the whole career of Thomas Gainsborough, from early portraits and landscapes painted in Suffolk during the 1750s, to later works from his Bath and London periods of the 1760s, 70s and 80s. The collection of works on paper includes drawings by Gainsborough and his contemporaries, as well as prints by or after Gainsborough and other eighteenth-century artists.
In 2019, Gainsborough’s House commenced a £10m building project supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. On 21 November 2022, the museum re-opened to the public after a transformational refurbishment; introducing 3 new exhibition spaces to accompany the original Grade I listed building. The museum is now the largest gallery in Suffolk.
The visitor entrance to Gainsborough’s House is on Weavers Lane and leads into the main gallery. Visitors can view the family house, the new gallery spaces, examples of Gainsborough’s work, alongside specialist exhibitions and the famed, crinkle-crinkle walled garden and Mulberry Tree dating to the early 1600s. The space also has The Watering Place café serving coffees, pastries and light lunches.
For more information about tickets, access or events; please see our website. Visit today! We are open every day from 10:00am – 17:00pm.
