A MAJOR new exhibition to commemorate the 60th anniversary of
the end of the Second World War opens on Saturday (April 30) at the
Victoria Art Gallery in Bath.
Blitzed! War Artists in Bath will show how the city of Bath and
its people were affected by the Second World War, especially the
Bath Blitz of 1942 which damaged 19,000 buildings and killed over
400 people.
The exhibition- staged by Bath & North East Somerset Council
– features works of art by 23 artists including well known war
painters such as John Piper alongside lesser known local artists
such as Clifford Ellis, Leslie Atkinson and the fireman artist
William Haines.
Pictures have been lent by national museums and private
collectors throughout Britain.
The paintings, drawings and photographs record a wide range of
aspects of Bath during the Second World and include the aftermath
of the Bath Blitz (April 25, 26 and 27 1942), clearing bomb sites,
rescuing the injured and repairing homes.
They also record everyday life in the city and how the people of
the time got on with their lives despite the bleakest of
circumstances.
Alongside the works of art will be objects from the war donated
by local people after a very successful appeal by the Gallery.
These have included gas masks, a wartime radio, ration books,
letters and diaries. The Gallery will also be displaying for the
first time the weathervane from the church spire of St James’s
which was destroyed during the Bath Blitz.
Staff at the Gallery have also been interviewing local people
about their memories of wartime Bath.
These have been filmed and will be shown throughout the
exhibition – afterwards the video will be kept by the Council as a
permanent oral history record of Bath during the Second World
War.
A series of free talks has also been organised to accompany the
exhibition. The first of which will take place on Saturday, April
30 by Martin Wainwright MBE – the author of the Bath Blitz. This
will be held at the Gallery from 12.10pm-12.45pm.
The Victoria Art Gallery, near Pulteney Bridge in Bath, is open
Tuesday to Friday (10am-5.30pm), Saturday (10am-5pm) and Sunday
(2pm-5pm). The Gallery is closed on Monday and admission is
free.
To find out more about the Victoria Art Gallery log on to the
website at www.victoriagal.org.uk or call
Tel: 01225 477231.
