Walker Art Gallery — Attraction in Liverpool

The Walker Art Gallery - A stunning place where Art is brought to life

What is the Walker Art Gallery?

The Walker Art Gallery is an Art Gallery that is located in the heart of Liverpool. It is set in a beautiful historical building that holds numerous Exhibitions and displays that take place throughout the year.

Exhibitions

Photie Man: 50 Years of Tom Wood

Who is Tom Wood?

Tom Wood born in 1951 is a celebrated artist who has redefined the way that we think about photography in Britain.

This Exhibition showcases work from his archive from the 1970s to the present day. There is a great variety of photographs on display from portraits to beautiful landscapes. Most of his work was made in Liverpool and Merseyside. He lived there from 1978 to 2003.

The Exhibition

This Exhibition was well presented in that each room within the Gallery represented a different decade of his work. You witnessed how he would take black and white photographs to which this then developed over time by using different cameras with colour.

His photographs are spectacular in the level of detail. In addition, Tom created unique relationships with the people that he took photos with.

It was also brilliantly executed with a range of issues that was exquisitely shown through his work. His work dealt with multiple issues from relationships, families, the night life, New Brighton, the markets, the ship yard, football and more.

Over more the Exhibition was not just simply masses of photographs but it was also interesting and engaging with written information and video footage of his work. It truly brought his photography to life in awe-inspiring ways.

Highlights

The main highlights from the exhibition were as follows:

Tom Wood’s Looking for Love series where he took intimate photos from the Chelsea Reach Nightclub in New Brighton. Through these photos you gained an insight of relationships between people that would meet at that nightclub.

Another highlight was when he would take photos of people on bus journeys. This was done through his Bus Series ‘Zones All Of Peak’.

In addition he conveyed the atmosphere of fans at football stadiums both at Goodison and Anfield grounds via his photos whilst attending matches.

Entry and Pricing

Entry to the Photie Man exhibition requires you to book a time slot ticket online which you will need to pay too. Attendance to the collections at the gallery is free of charge.

The prices for Photie Man – 50 Years of Tom Wood are as follows:

Adult £9.00

Concession £8.00

Disabled Adult £8.00

National Art Pass £4.50 Adult

National Art Pass £4.00 Concession

Child 6-17 years £2.00

Disabled Child £2.00 6-17 years

Disabled Adult FREE Companion

Disabled Child FREE Companion

For further price details for the exhibition then visit the Walker Art Gallery website.

Facilities

The Art Gallery has a café that serves a good variety of sandwiches and cakes. They also offer a selection of hot and cold drinks. It is reasonably priced.

Toilets are on site.

Access

Entry to the Art Gallery is either by going up a number of stairs or via a ramp which is helpful for people who have mobility problems like me. Access to all floors is by using the lifts.

Parking

The Walker Art Gallery does not have its own designated car park however there is pay and display parking nearby. This is free for those whom have a Blue Badge.

If you love looking at art and learning about artists in a interesting and engaging way inside a lovely historical building then the Walker Art Gallery is the...

I'm going to be the most honest as possible. This museum was incredible especially when you know that all permanent exhibitions are totally free!! First, the 17th century sculpture gallery is wonderful and is really diving us into antiquity: Greece, Rome but also biblical stories. Then the art & design room was such a wonderful surprise to me: there were Vivienne Westwood runaway outfits on display with her iconic jewellery and also a biography of hers. As an enthusiast of Vivienne Westwood, it was really interesting. Then you walk upstairs and I can tell you that all the paintings and artworks on display upstairs are worth the visit with Pre-Raphaelites, Victoria art, War art. It was wonderful. I especially enjoyed the painting Narcissus and Echo since I do ancient greek and latin classes and that whenever we talk about Narcissus' myth, I'd think of this painting. Therefore to me it's really iconic. However, I'd say that my favourite is A Summer Night. The painting is gigantic and really poetic. It depicts four similar young ladies on a huge kinda roman bed. In the background, there's a splendid view of the sea. The picture is really giving renaissance and therefore also giving greco-roman antiquity. The colors are warm and soft. When I first saw the painting, I immediately thought of the four Lisbon sisters in bed waiting in a bedroom because their parents locked them away after Cecilia's (the youngest sister) suicide and after that Lux came home in the morning after a party at night. All the characters I'm talking about are from the gorgeous, scenic, poetic but tragic movie The Virgin Suicides directed by Sofia Coppola, Frank Coppola's daughter. The movie is based on a novel but Mrs Coppola still did a wonderful job doing this movie. The painting to me really depicts that summer boredom feeling that the four girls on the painting are going through just like the Lisbon sisters went through this feeling. Who knows? Maybe Sofia Coppola used this painting as inspiration for her movie? But nothing's sure. In conclusion, if you're in Liverpool, around and that you love art then don't walk, run. (And it's free!) P.S: The staff is also very...

The Walker Art Gallery is an art gallery in Liverpool, which houses one of the largest art collections in England, outside London. The Walker Art Gallery's collection dates from 1819 when the Liverpool Royal Institution acquired 37 paintings from the collection of William Roscoe, who had to sell his collection following the failure of his banking business, though it was saved from being broken up by his friends and associates.

In 1843, the Royal Institution’s collection was displayed in a purpose-built gallery next to the Institution’s main premises. In 1850 negotiations by an association of citizens to take over the Institution’s collection, for display in a proposed art gallery, library and museum, came to nothing.

The collection grew over the following decades: in 1851 Liverpool Town Council bought Liverpool Academy’s diploma collection and further works were acquired from the Liverpool Society for the Fine Arts, founded in 1858. The competition between the Academy and Society eventually led to both collapsing.

William Brown Library and Museum opened in 1860, named after a Liverpool merchant whose generosity enabled the Town Council to act upon an 1852 Act of Parliament which allowed the establishment of a public library, museum and art gallery, and in 1871 the council organised the first Liverpool Autumn Exhibition, held at the new library and museum.

The success of the exhibition enabled the Library, Museum and Arts Committee to purchase works for the council’s permanent collection, buying around 150 works between 1871 and 1910. Works acquired included WF Yeames’ And when did you last see your father? and Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s...