Compton Verney What’s on
June – September 2009
Visitor information
Venue hire
Café
Our award-winning café has thought of something for everyone, and serves a delicious choice of items throughout the day. From a mid-morning coffee with a cake to a carefully selected lunch menu or a traditional afternoon cream tea with friends, the contemporary surroundings and table service provide a relaxed atmosphere set against the prestigious backdrop of the mansion.
If you’re looking for an inspiring venue to hold a meeting, party, training session or staff away day, then look no further. The contemporary trend for space and light combined with the elegant architecture of the building create a magnificent setting for almost any event corporate or private - as well as for photoshoots, a film location or even for a fashion show.
Call us on or 0121 644 5160 and find out how the Compton Verney team can work with you Our food is freshly prepared and is responsibly to make your event stand out from the rest. sourced from quality local producers and Group visits suppliers wherever possible. We’re proud of From a simple visit with a quick introduction to our focus on providing our customers with the freshest ingredients and tastiest produce, an in-depth tour of the collection or grounds, we have something to offer adult groups of all supporting our local communities and interests. Pre-booked groups of 15+ receive a reducing our environmental impact. 10% discount on admission, special offers in the Little ones are welcome too. Highchairs are shop and have the option to pre-book lunches available, alongside children’s lunch boxes in the café. To book call us on 01926 645 516. and organic baby food. Don’t forget to check out our website for latest offers and seasonal specials menus.
Shop
Enjoy the art of shopping when you visit Compton Verney. Take time out to browse in our shop and find the perfect gift for friends, the latest exhibition catalogue, artists’ materials to get you started, or simply a postcard of your favourite work of art. You can now shop from home at www.comptonverneyshop.org.uk All purchases help to support Compton Verney.
Access
All our floors are accessible by wheelchair. There are also specially adapted toilets. Large print guides and wheelchairs are available. Hearing loops are fitted at the Ticket Desk. Assistance dogs are welcome. For more information call 01926 645 500, email info@comptonverney.org.uk or ask at the Ticket Desk upon arrival.
Stay in touch
If you’d like to receive monthly updates and exclusive offers from us then sign up for our e-bulletin. You can also subscribe to our special families, groups or learning editions to get the news and special offers relevant to you. Visit www.comptonverney.org.uk or call 01926 645 500.
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Book tickets 24 hours online www.comptonverney.org.uk
Welcome
Director’s welcome This summer is going to be an especially active and exciting one, with exhibitions, displays, events and activities which will to appeal to everyone. The splendid Georgian Portrait display Seeing is Believing – kindly loaned to us by the Holburne Museum in Bath – has recently arrived. This features some fabulous pictures by some of the greatest names in British painting, including Joshua Reynolds, Allan Ramsay and Angelica Kaufman, and blends excellently with our British Portraits collection. In the exhibition galleries, we have two marvellous shows. Constable Portraits: The Painter and His Circle gives us a rare chance to see works by one of Britain’s foremost artists. This much-acclaimed show comes to us from London’s National Portrait Gallery, and demonstrates how the great master’s renowned expertise in landscapes influenced his affecting yet hitherto neglected portraits. Surrealism and Contemporary Art comes to us from the Whitworth Gallery in Manchester, and traces the fascinating story of Surrealism from the well-known works of Dali and Magritte to modern-day excursions into the realm of the dreamlike and bizarre. Weekends and holidays this summer will be particularly eventful. As well as a packed programme of lectures, workshops and even a sleepover, we are staging a Georgian weekend in June and Summerspace activities including photography, drawing and collage-making – for the whole family in July and August.
Visitor Information
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Surrealism and Contemporary Art
4–5
Constable Portraits
6–7
Everything you need to know to make your visit to Compton Verney a smooth one.
Display: Georgian Portraits 8 – 9
Exhibition tours and events.
Diary
Your guide to what’s on.
10 – 11
Activities for all ages and 12 – 13 Family Friendly facilities
August also sees the formal opening of our restored ‘Capability’ Brown pathways in the southern part of the grounds. And during the summer we hope to continue our work on restoring the Ice House and to begin emergency repairs to ‘Capability’ Brown’s fine, 1772 Chapel, with a view to its eventual reopening.
Fun creative activities.
I’m sure you’ll find something to intrigue, fascinate and entertain you at Compton Verney this summer. And I hope to see you very soon.
Adult workshops
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Forthcoming exhibition
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Directions
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World War II weekend Collections Grounds
The Artist’s Studio. Dr. Steven Parissien
How to find us and other useful information.
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Book tickets by phone 01926 645 500, Tues – Sun & Bank Hol Mons, 11am – 4.30pm
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Exhibition
Surrealism and Contemporary Art: Subversive Spaces
The Exhibition catalogue is available from the Compton Verney shop for £14.95, or buy online at www.comptonverneyshop.org.uk
13 June – 6 September This exhibition brings together the pioneers of Surrealism and a generation of younger artists who continue to find inspiration in the intellectual and aesthetic origins of the movement. The exhibition spans historic Surrealist works by artists such as Magritte, Dalí and Brassaï as well as the work of contemporary artists including Francis Alÿs, Douglas Gordon, Mona Hatoum and Sarah Lucas.
Psychic Interiors investigates houses, bedrooms, hotels, tunnels and labyrinths where the space portrayed becomes a place of unease, constraint and mystery. One focus is the impact of confining women within the home, explored through the work of Lucy Gunning and Dorothea Tanning. A Whitworth Art Gallery, University of Manchester Touring Exhibition.
Dorothea Tanning, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. Oil on canvas, 1943. © Tate, London 2009. © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2009.
This exhibition looks at two areas: Wandering the City and Psychic Interiors. The first of these examines the artist walking through the city as a means to discover hidden social spaces as well as unconscious fears and desires. From Brassaï’s atmospheric night-time photographs of an unfamiliar Paris to George Shaw’s melancholy depictions of playgrounds and the Coventry estate where he grew up,
attention is drawn to the derelict, disused spaces of urban environments. Within this section, ideas of social and political exclusion, regeneration, borders, margins and journeys are explored. Other artists include Francis Alÿs, Eugène Atget, André Breton, Gordon Matta-Clark, Humphrey Spender.
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Book tickets 24 hours online www.comptonverney.org.uk
Exhibition tours: Surrealism and Contemporary Art Fri 3 July, Fri 17 July, Fri 31 July, Fri 14 August, Fri 28 August, 12noon A 45 minute tour of Surrealism and Contemporary Art. Places are limited so please sign up on arrival. Tour included in admission price.
Lecture: Surrealist Architecture Thurs 16 July, 1pm
Is there such a thing as Surreal Architecture? If so, what is it – and where can you find it in Britain? 20th century expert and broadcaster Julian Holder explores this fertile and fascinating subject in entertaining detail. Tickets £13, concs £11, includes gallery admission. Members £5.
Lecture: Directing Dreams Sat 29 August, 1pm
Artist Luke Jerram and sleep psychologist Dr. Chris Alford discuss the ideas and research behind Dream Director and its attempts to influence participants’ dreams. Tickets £13, concs £11, includes gallery admission. Members £5.
Events
Events Dream Director Sleepovers
Sat 29 and Sun 30 August, 8pm – 9am This is a unique opportunity for you to spend the night at Compton Verney whilst letting artist Luke Jerram direct your dreams. Spend the night in a sleep pod, where you wear an eye mask that detects your eye movements whilst you sleep. The pod will respond and play ambient sounds designed to trigger and influence dreams. The experiment ends over breakfast, where you get to write a dream diary about your experience. OVER 18s ONLY. Tickets £25, including refreshments and breakfast. Find out more at www.dreamdirector.net
A Watershed tour funded by Arts Council England. The Dream Director was developed as part of the Clark Bursary – 6th UK Digital Art Award. This event is co-presented in association with Fierce.
Book tickets by phone 01926 645 500, Tues – Sun & Bank Hol Mons, 11am – 4.30pm
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The Painter and His Circle
The Exhibition catalogue is available from the Compton Verney shop for £18.99, or buy online at www.comptonverneyshop.org.uk
27 June – 6 September John Constable (1776 – 1837) is renowned as a landscape artist, yet his portraits are rarely seen and far less well-known. Spanning thirty years and featuring over 40 works this exhibition will for the first time take the viewer deeper into Constable’s landscapes, revealing the people who occupied his world. The exhibition will contain paintings and drawings of his family, close friends and children, interspersed with Constable’s landscape paintings of the areas surrounding his homes. The exhibition will set out to support Lucian Freud’s claim that Constable was a key figure in the history of English portrait painting. Exhibition organised by the National Portrait Gallery. Voted a must see exhibition for 2009 by
Exhibition tours: Constable Portraits
Fri 10 July, Fri 24 July, Fri 7 August, Fri 21 August, Fri 4 September, 12noon A 45 minute tour of Constable Portraits. Places are limited so please sign up on arrival. Tour included in admission price.
Lecture: Constable Portraits: The Painter and His Circle Sat 11 July, 1pm
Exhibition co-curator, art critic and writer Martin Gayford, will give an illustrated talk on the painter, his life and work. Martin has also recently written the biography of Constable Constable in Love published by Penguin. Tickets £13, concs £11, includes gallery admission. Members £5.
Telegraph.co.uk
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Book tickets 24 hours online www.comptonverney.org.uk
Ramsay Richard Reinagle, John Constable (1799). National Portrait Gallery, London. Purchased with help from The Art Fund, 1917. © National Portrait Gallery, London. John Constable, Mary Freer. Oil on canvas, 1809. © Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection, USA.
Exhibition
Constable Portraits:
Lecture: Constable and Gainsborough Wed 12 August, 1pm
Renowned art historian Michael Rosenthal explores the links between two of the country’s most celebrated artists, and investigates how Constable’s art was influenced by Gainsborough and his contemporaries. Tickets £13, concs £11, includes gallery admission. Members £5.
Events
Events Cream Tea Offer... Enjoy admission to our exhibitions and afternoon tea* (served from 3pm) for £12.50 adults, £10.50 concessions. Offer valid 30 June – 6 Sept 2009.
To book call 01926 645 500 or buy online www.comptonverney.org.uk
John Constable, Golding Constable’s Flower Garden. Oil on canvas, 1815. Colchester and Ipswich Museum Service.
*Note afternoon tea comprises a pot of tea, home-baked scone with preserve and cream.
Book tickets by phone 01926 645 500, Tues – Sun & Bank Hol Mons, 11am – 4.30pm
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Display
Display
Georgian Portraits: Seeing is Believing Find books and trinkets relating to the Georgian period in our shop or visit www.comptonverneyshop.org.uk
20 May – 13 December This display of portraits on loan from the Holburne Museum of Art in Bath, presents a unique opportunity to see highlights from their collection including works by Thomas Barker, Arthur Devis, Angelica Kauffman, Allan Ramsay, Henry Raeburn, George Stubbs and Richard Cosway.
depictions of Arcadia or the grand backdrop to the patron’s country manor.
While wealthy patrons continued to have their portraits painted as symbols of class and status, the Georgian era saw portraiture enter a golden age reaching new heights of popularity, defined by a diversity of form and greater realism.
Tour: Georgian Portraits
Every Thurs, 2.30pm from 4 June A 45 minute talk and tour focusing on Georgian Portraits. Places are limited so please sign up on arrival. Tour included in admission price.
Return of Mrs Baldwin We are delighted to welcome Sir Joshua Reynolds’ Mrs Baldwin back to the British Portraits collection to join the display.
George Stubbs, Rev. Robert Carter Thelwall and Family. Oil on panel, 1776. © Holburne Museum of Art, Bath.
With the popularity of landscape architects such as Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, nature would also find its way into portraiture. Parkland and gardens became the setting for new conversation pieces – whether fanciful
The Holburne Museum will reopen in the next two years after extensive building development to house their collection and provide new temporary exhibition spaces.
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Book tickets 24 hours online www.comptonverney.org.uk
Georgian Weekend: People and Landscapes Sat 6 and Sun 7 June, 11am – 4pm
Journey back to the century of luxury, pleasure and intrigue as we celebrate the Georgians’ love affair with the country landscape in our own ‘Capability’ Brown parkland. Live Georgian Music Diabolus In Musica take you on a musical journey back to the 1700s filling our Adam Hall with music from Handel and Vivaldi. Their period costume and instruments transport you to an elegant Georgian social occasion. The Mannered Mob Bring to life the heady days when the Verney family lived at Compton Verney. Enjoy music, promenading, games and pastimes from the period with the gentry. Swagger in Satin, Swan in Silk Explore the delights of Georgian portraiture by dressing up, posing for a portraits and creating fabulous fashion accessories. Capable Landscapes Design your own landscape inspired by the grounds at Compton Verney
Events
Events Lecture: Likeness and Landscape: Georgian Portraits and the British Arcadia Sat 6 June, 1pm
Curator Amina Wright from The Holburne Museum of Art explores the eighteenthcentury fashion for portraits in outdoor settings, looking at works in the Georgian Portraits display. Tickets £13, concs £11, includes gallery admission. Members £5.
Lecture: Women and the Enlightenment in the 18th century Sun 7 June, 1pm
Professor Karen O’Brien, of Warwick University is one of the country’s leading experts in 18th century literature. In this lecture she examines the role of women in the context of the Georgian Enlightenment. She will also be signing copies of her recentlypublished book Women and the Age of Enlightenment, available for sale in the shop at a special discount. Tickets £13, concs £11, includes gallery admission. Members £5.
Image courtesy, The Mannered Mob.
All events and workshops included in admission price. For more details look at our website www.comptonverney.org.uk
Book tickets by phone 01926 645 500, Tues – Sun & Bank Hol Mons, 11am – 4.30pm
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COMPTON VERNEY
Diary
If you’d like to receive monthly updates and exclusive offers from us then sign up for our e-bulletin. You can also subscribe to our special families, groups or learning editions to get the news and special offers relevant to you. www.comptonverney.org.uk
Stay in touch Date
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Membership Time
Event title
Page
June Display: Georgian Portraits
8
12noon
Talk: My favourite object
15
2.30pm
Grounds Tour
16
12noon
Talk: My favourite object
15
Wed 3*
2.30pm
Tour: Gallery in Focus - Naples
15
Thurs 4*
12noon
Talk: My favourite object
15
Thurs 4*
2.30pm
Tour: Georgian Portraits
8
Fri 5*
2.30pm
Grounds Tour
16
Sat 6
1pm
Lecture: Likeness and Landscape
9
Sat 6 & Sun 7
11am
Georgian Weekend
9
1pm
Lecture: Women and the Enlightenment in the 18th Century
9
Exhibition: Surrealism and Contemporary Art
4
Adult workshop: Portraits in the Landscape
18
Father’s Day - Dads and Grandads go free
12
Adult workshop: Surrealism and the Cityscape
18
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Exhibition: Constable Portraits
6
Fri 3
12noon
Exhibition Tour: Surrealism and Contemporary Art
6
Sat 4
10am
Adult workshop: Photography Masterclass
18
Fri 10
12noon
Exhibition Tour: Constable Portraits
6
Sat 11
1pm
Lecture: Constable Portraits
6
Until 13th Dec Tues 2* Tues 2* Wed 3*
Sun 7 Sat 13 – Sun 6 Sept Sat 13 & Sun 14
–
– 10am
Sun 21 Sat 27 Sat 27 – Sun 6 Sept
10am
July
= Activity/Event included in the admission price. = Workshop/Event ticket price includes admission.
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Book tickets 24 hours online www.comptonverney.org.uk
Visit our shop for a superb range of gifts and books relating to the history of the house and grounds and reflecting our diverse collections and changing exhibition programme.
Select the perfect membership for you and be a part of everything Compton Verney has to offer. Buy now www.comptonverney.org.uk Call 01926 645 500 or complete the enclosed form.
Diary
Join us
Visit our shop online www.comptonverneyshop.org.uk
Shop Date
Time
Event title
Page
1pm
Lecture: Surrealist Architecture
5
12noon
Exhibition Tour: Surrealism and Contemporary Art
5
July cont... Thurs 16 Fri 17
Summerspace
12
Fri 24
12noon
Exhibition Tour: Constable Portraits
6
Fri 31
12noon
Exhibition Tour: Surrealism and Contemporary Art
5
Sat 18 – 31 Aug
11am
August Sat 1
10am
Adult workshop: Drawing Portraits
18
Fri 7
12noon
Exhibition Tour: Constable Portraits
6
1pm
Lecture: Constable and Gainborough
7
Wed 12 Fri 14
12noon
Exhibition Tour: Surrealism and Contemporary Art
5
Fri 21
12noon
Exhibition Tour: Constable Portraits
6
Adult workshop: Introduction to Portrait Painting in oils
18
Exhibition Tour: Surrealism and Contemporary Art
5
Sun 23
10am
Fri 28
12noon
Sat 29
1pm
Lecture: Directing Dreams
5
Sat 29 and Sun 30
8pm
Dream Director Sleepover
5
Sat 29 – Mon 31
11am
August Bank Holiday Dream Pods
12
Exhibition Tour: Constable Portraits
6
World War II weekend
14
Exhibition: The Artist’s Studio
19
September Fri 4 Sat 19 & Sun 20 Sat 26 – Sun 13 Dec
12noon 11am –
* These events run weekly on these days and times thereafter.
Book tickets by phone 01926 645 500, Tues – Sun & Bank Hol Mons, 11am – 4.30pm
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Activities for all ages
Activities for all ages All the activities are included with your admission ticket and are suitable for children and adults. Just turn up and join in.
School Summer holidays Summerspace Sat 18 July – Mon 31 August
Come along with your friends and family to our Summerspace and get creative. This year’s activities are inspired by our two summer exhibitions Surrealism and Contemporary Art and Constable Portraits. Within the Summerspace we’ll provide you with lots of pictures of hidden corners and surreal spaces in and around Compton Verney and a space where we’ll take your photograph. Combine these two and customise through drawing and collage to produce your very own framed Surrealist masterpiece. Marvel at our camera obscura experience and see Compton Verney from an amazing new perspective.
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August Bank Holiday
Sat 29 – Mon 31 August
Dream pods Over the August Bank Holiday weekend come and try your own personal sleep pod in the Adam Hall and bring your dreams to life in our drop-in Dream Diaries workshop. For details of the Dream Director Sleepover (suitable for ages 18+) and the Dream Director Luke Jerram’s lecture see page 7.
Fathers’ Go Free for Father’s Day... Sunday 21 June
A special offer to celebrate Fathers Day: Dads and Grandads brought along by their family today will be treated to free admission.
Book tickets 24 hours online www.comptonverney.org.uk
If you’re looking for a great day out this summer, Compton Verney offers something every member of your family can enjoy.
There’s always plenty to capture the imagination, stimulate the mind and keep the children happy and interested throughout your visit. Here are some of the facilities we offer to make your visit enjoyable, fun and hassle free: • Cloakroom to store your coats and bags securely. • Pushchair park at the Ticket Desk – although pushchairs can be taken into the gallery if you wish. • Flat floors throughout and lifts to all floors. • Family Friendly accessible toilets on all floors with baby changing facilities on the ground and second floor.
• Hippy Chick hip seats for loan to help you carry a child aged 6 months to 3 years around the galleries in comfort. • Free family activity packs to help children explore the galleries. • Family Friendly café with children’s lunchboxes, child size portions, highchairs and bottle warming. • Pocket money souvenirs and gifts, children’s art crafts and art books in the shop.
Family Friendly facilities
Family Friendly facilities
• Family ticket for £18.80* admitting 2 adults and up to 4 children. • Under 5s go free. *including Gift Aid
Stay in touch – get special offers for you and your family. Subscribe to our families e-bulletin at www.comptonverney.org.uk
Shortlisted for The Guardian Family Friendly Award
Save money and have fun with your family... Become a member and get all these fun activities, plus plenty more and unlimited free entry for 12 months.
Sign up now www.comptonverney.org.uk Complete the enclosed form or call 01926 645 500 Book tickets by phone 01926 645 500, Tues – Sun & Bank Hol Mons, 11am – 4.30pm
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Memories of Compton Verney
World War II weekend
Memories of Compton Verney World War II weekend
SUNDAY ONLY
Sat 19 and Sun 20 September
• Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Spitfire and Hurricane flypast
• Music from the era – Jitterbug and Jive in the Adam Hall.
• Vintage cars from the period
• Talk on wartime rations and food.
• Talk on Spitfires
• Bring along your memories, photos and memorabilia of Compton Verney from WWII to the present day and meet our resident historian who will record them. • Children can become spies for the day. Pick up a trail from the Ticket Desk and follow the clues on your special spy mission to unlock the secret code which leads you to an escape route.
Competition Come in dressed in 1940s style – best dressed will win a family membership.
• See artist Stephen Whitehead build a decoy aircraft.
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Book tickets 24 hours online www.comptonverney.org.uk
Find out more about our history and collections from books and postcards available from our online shop www.comptonverneyshop.org.uk
Talk: My favourite object
Tues, Wed and Thurs, 12noon from 2nd June A 15 minute talk in which a Compton Verney member of staff picks out their favourite item from the collections. Talk included in admission price. Places are limited so please sign up on arrival. Meet at the Ticket Desk.
Collection in Focus – Naples If you haven’t visited the Neapolitan collection for a while, it’s time to take a second look. The galleries have been re-hung and room has been made for four new works. The first is a stunning self-portrait by Naples born Gennaro Basile (1722 – 1782).
Corrado Giaquinto (1703 – 1766), The Last Supper dates from the 1740s when Giaquinto’s work was characterized by a soft palate and elegant rococo forms as can be seen in this theatrical depiction of the Last Supper. Luca Giordano’s (1634 – 1705) pair of works The Judgement of Solomon and The Brazen Serpent are typical of his later works using an expressive range of light and colour, anticipating the rococo style. These works add to a number of others by him in the collection.
Tour: Gallery in Focus: Naples Every Wed, 2.30pm from 3 June
A 45 minute tour of selected works from the collection. Tour included in admission price. Places are limited so please sign up on arrival.
Gennaro Basile, Self-Portrait. Oil on canvas. 63.5 x 48.3 cm. © Sotheby’s. Luca Giordano, The Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist. Oil on canvas, about 1675. © Compton Verney. Photo by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd.
Unlike Basile, Mattia Preti (1613 – 1699) first came to Naples later in his career, and established his reputation there in the 1650s, securing a number of lucrative commissions like this one, which depicts The Incredulity of Saint Thomas.
Collections
Collections
Book tickets by phone 01926 645 500, Tues – Sun & Bank Hol Mons, 11am – 4.30pm
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Grounds
Grounds Our shop has a great range of gifts and children’s activity packs inspired by the grounds. Visit in store or see www.comptonverney.org.uk
If you’re looking for a good value day out this summer then come and enjoy our grounds. Grounds admission is only £1, which enables you to: • Enjoy a picnic in our lakeside or woodland picnic areas. Pick up all the ingredients for a perfect picnic from our café. • E xplore our Capability Brown footpaths. • Discover a whole host of bird, plant and wildlife. • Pick up a grounds leaflet and find out more about the history of the grounds. • Find out about the hidden stories of the grounds from retired Groundsman John Schumann and landscape historian John Phibbs by borrowing a grounds audio tour from the Ticket Desk.
Grounds Tours
Tues and Fri, 2.30pm from 2 June An hour tour of Compton Verney’s ‘Capability’ Brown parkland taking in the restored footpaths. Please bring suitable clothing and sturdy footwear. Places are limited so please sign up upon arrival.
Enjoy walking? Pick up a leaflet from Compton Verney and enjoy the walk from us to Charlecote Park. The walk is 7 miles and takes you along public footpaths through Combrook, Walton and Wellesbourne.
• Practice your photography using the Capability Brown viewpoints as inspiration.
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Book tickets 24 hours online www.comptonverney.org.uk
How you can get involved If you’ve visited Compton Verney recently, you may have noticed a few changes in the grounds. With part funding from central government through a Countryside Stewardship grant, we are restoring the historic features of our ‘Capability’ Brown landscape.
Adopt a tree...
Grounds
Grounds
A gift that really makes a difference By adopting a tree at Compton Verney you will be safeguarding our beautiful historic environment for future generations.
Our next project is restoring the ruined Ice House, which originally had an unusual thatched roof. Once restored this will make a roost for rare bat species spotted in the area. We’ve already completed detailed surveys and plans, and are now looking for people who want to support the restoration. If you would like to help, please send your donation by cheque payable to Compton Verney House Trust to the Development Department, Compton Verney, Warwickshire CV35 9HZ or leave a cash donation in the collecting box in the entrance hall. Contributions of any amount are welcome and every £1 you give is matched by our government grant. Everyone making a donation over £50 by the end of 2009 will be listed on a special sign placed near the Ice House next year. Please send us your name and address with your contribution.
For more information on how to adopt a tree call us on 01926 645 500.
Book tickets by phone 01926 645 500, Tues – Sun & Bank Hol Mons, 11am – 4.30pm
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Adult workshops
Adult workshops All tickets include gallery admission and materials. Participants can bring a packed lunch or reserve a table for lunch in the café at 12noon by calling 01926 645 511 – please book your place on the workshop first.
Looking for artists’ materials or books to help you brush up on your technique? Visit our online shop at www.comptonverneyshop.org.uk
Surrealism and the Cityscape
Drawing Portraits
Sat 27 June, 10am – 4pm
Sat 1 August, 10am – 4pm
Join artist Angela Gladwell to work from observation making an experimental oil painting from a model of a surreal cityscape lit to enhance the sculptural forms. The workshop is designed for all abilities, and aims to encourage free expression through colour and brushwork to model form and create texture, helping you create your own Surrealist masterpiece. Tickets £55.
Join artist Beccy Roberts in this workshop inspired by Constable Portraits. Working with a model dressed in period costume set against a period backdrop, you will be using a variety of drawing techniques and materials to produce your very own romantic style portrait. Tickets £50.
Photography Masterclass
Sat 4 July, 10am – 4pm
Sun 23 August, 10am – 4pm
Join artist Anthony Rowe for a workshop inspired by Constable Portraits. This workshop helps you to explore the medium of oil painting enabling you to spend the day working towards a completed portrait in oils. Your model for the day will be in period dress. Tickets £60.
Angela Gladwell, Paper and Polystyrene. March 2009.
For this masterclass we have limited numbers to ensure that you get plenty of expert one to one tuition, from Ray Spence. Inspired by Lucy Gunning’s work featured in our Surrealism and Contemporary Art exhibition, you will have a model to set within your photographic compositions as you explore hidden spaces at Compton Verney. Tickets £65. Participants should bring their own digital camera.
Introduction to Portrait – Painting in oils
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Book tickets 24 hours online www.comptonverney.org.uk
Stay in touch – subscribe to our monthly what’s on e-bulletin at www.comptonverney.org.uk or to join our mailing list call 01926 645 500
26 September – 13 December This exhibition, the scope of which will be a first for UK audiences, offers an insight into the often private world of the artist’s studio in Britain from the 17th century to the present day. When looking at the early development of the way the artist’s studio has been represented we will also include some European artists.
Peter Tillemans, The Artist’s Studio. Oil on canvas, c.1716. © Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery.
The enduring theme of the studio has been a source of fascination and in some cases preoccupation for artists for over 300 years, and this show offers an insight into both the way artists have worked and continue to represent spaces which exist on the boundaries of display and production.
The exhibition presents over 80 works including paintings, works on paper, historic manuscripts, film and video, photography and newly commissioned work. Artists in the exhibition include Art & Language, Frank Auerbach, Francis Bacon, John Bratby, Jeremy Deller, Paul Cézanne, Mark Fairnington, Lucian Freud, Gwen John, Duncan Grant, Andrew Grassie, George Jamesone, Lisa Milroy, C.R.W. Nevinson, William Orpen, Eric Ravilious, Rembrandt, D.G. Rossetti, Paul Ryan, J.M.W. Turner and Johann Zoffany.
Forthcoming exhibition
The Artist’s Studio
Book tickets by phone 01926 645 500, Tues – Sun & Bank Hol Mons, 11am – 4.30pm
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Visitor information
£6.60
Family
£18
£19.80
Child (aged 5 – 16)
£2
Under 5s
Free
Pre-booked adult groups of 15 or more (call 01926 645 516 to book): Adult £7.20 Concession £5.40 Adult super group with tour £13 Concs. super group with tour £11 One day programmes for pre-booked school groups (call 01926 645 560 to book): Pupils / students £4 Teachers Free Unassisted school groups (please pre-book on 01926 645 516): Pupils / students £2 Students aged 16+ £6 Teachers / lecturers £8 Please note that you will need one adult for every six pupils / students visiting.
A large print guide of this publication is also available call 01926 645 500. Compton Verney Warwickshire CV35 9HZ T. 01926 645 500 info@comptonverney.org.uk www.comptonverney.org.uk Registered charity no. 1032478
5 45 B4
Kineton
B40
86
A42
2
sse
(2 adults and up to 4 children)
Fo
(Over 60, student, unwaged)
12
Wellesbourne
Banbury
11 Oxford
& London
How to find us Compton Verney is situated 9 miles south east of Stratford-upon-Avon on the B4086 between Wellesbourne and Kineton. From the M40 take junction 12 and follow the brown signs. Public transport links By rail the nearest stations are Leamington Spa, Banbury or Stratford-upon-Avon, approximately a 25 minute taxi ride from each. By bus take the 269 from Banbury bus station or Wood Street Stratford, for details call 0871 200 2233. Parking Parking at Compton Verney is free. There is disabled parking in the main car park if you wish to enjoy our wheelchair friendly footpaths through the grounds. There are also a limited number of spaces in front of the gallery for blue badge holders. Visitors can also be dropped off at the front door to the gallery. Please recycle me.
Supported by
John Constable, Mary Freer. Oil on canvas, 1809. © Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection, USA.
£6
StratfordUpon-Avon
A423
Concessions
A429
£8.80
13
W ay
£8
14
40
Adult
Southam
25
M
With Gift Aid
A4
15
00 B41
Leamington Spa
08 7
Ticket prices
Warwick
Birmingham
B4
Open Until 13 December 2009 Tues to Sun and Bank Holiday Mons, 11am – 5pm