Media release: 2 September 2026

Opens Saturday 12 September

  • Reflections is on show at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum from 12 September to 3 January 2027
  • Reflections features significant works on loan from the National Gallery and Glynn Vivian Gallery including works by Eugène Boudin, Charles-François Daubigny, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot and Claude Monet

The new exhibition Reflections opens at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum on Saturday 12 September and runs until Sunday 3 January 2027.

Reflections is an invitation to the viewer to immerse themselves in the fluid beauty and immense power of water, through a range of outstanding historic and contemporary artworks.

Featuring works from Worcester City’s own collection as well as high profile loans from national collections and works by contemporary artists, Reflections inspires the imagination and serves as a reminder of the human responsibility to protect the seas, rivers, streams and waterways that are vital for the future. The River Severn, the longest river in the UK, has shaped Worcester’s identity and industrial heritage for centuries – and continues to today.

Curated with artists Wayne Warren and Jonathan Wright, Reflections features significant works on loan from the National Gallery and Glynn Vivian Gallery including works by Eugène Boudin, Charles-François Daubigny, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot and Claude Monet, who all experimented with and mastered the art of capturing light, water and shifting reflections. These fabulous artworks will hang alongside works by a range of modern artists including David Hockney and Wilhemina Barnes-Graham, loaned from a private collection, and popular works from Worcester City’s own collection, including the much-loved Chadding on Mounts Bay by Stanhope Forbes.

Deborah Fox, Museums Worcestershire Senior Curator commented: “Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum is committed to bringing great art and artists to the region. We are very excited to bring French Impressionist artists such as Monet to Worcester, and we are very grateful to the National Gallery and Worcestershire Heritage, Art & Museums charity for their support. The exhibition also gives us the opportunity to show new work, and to showcase favourites from Worcester’s own collection.”

Water is vital to life. This exhibition will examine its importance as a source of inspiration and imagery in art. Be it from seas, oceans, rivers, pools or streams on artists, every ripple can take on new forms and meanings. Reflections will also explore the impact of water on our locality – the power, prosperity and beauty of the River Severn as well as the considerable impact of flooding on the City of Worcester.

Overall, the result is in an expansive showcase celebrating a rich spectrum of artistic voices.

Reflections has been organised by Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum in collaboration with the National Gallery, London and private lenders, and supported by Worcester Heritage, Arts & Museums charity.

Reflections opens at Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum on Saturday 12 September. The Art Gallery & Museum is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am – 4pm, and Sunday, 10am – 3pm

Tickets for the exhibition can be booked at: www.museumsworcestershire.org.uk

ENDS

Press contact:

For further information contact:

Helen Large, at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum, email Helen.Large@worcester.gov.uk

Image Credit:  Bateaux en Hollande pres de Zaandam, Claude Monet, 1871, courtesy of Swansea Council: Glynn Vivian Art Gallery

There will be a photo / interview opportunity on Friday 11th September, 12 noon at Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum. Please contact Helen.Large@worcester.gov.uk to confirm attendance.

 

Exhibition Details:

Reflections

Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum

Saturday 12 September until Sunday 3 January 2027| Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum
Tuesday to Saturday 10am – 4pm, Sunday 10am – 3pm

To book tickets: www.museumsworcestershire.org.uk

Featuring significant works on loan from the National Gallery and Glynn Vivian Gallery including works by Eugène Boudin, Charles-François Daubigny, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot and Claude Monet, Reflections presents the immense beauty, vitality and power of water through historic and contemporary artworks.

Please note the Art Gallery & Museum is closed 24 – 28 December, and 1 January. Open as normal from Sat 2 Jan.

Bite-size Talk | Reflections

Tuesday 13 October 2026, 2 – 2.30pm | Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum

Artist Wayne Warren, curator of Reflections, will delve deeper into the concepts behind the works in this Bite-size Talk.

Tickets for the talk and exhibition can be purchased in advance on the website www.museumsworcestershire.org.uk

About Museums Worcestershire
Museums Worcestershire is the joint museum service of Worcester City and Worcestershire County Councils. It comprises three fantastic venues– Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum, The Commandery in Worcester and The Worcestershire County Museum.

The collections and exhibitions at our sites are many and varied, covering centuries of the county’s history right up to the present day. Thousands of objects, including the historic buildings themselves, are brought to life through innovative exhibitions and events throughout the year.