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  Discover more about the history of the Usher Gallery, some of the works we have in our collection, and the events and activities we run at the gallery. Posts are by the Usher Gallery team.

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• What can I see in the Usher Gallery?

  We hope that a visit to the Usher Gallery will inspire you. Step inside Lincoln’s Usher Gallery and experience the work of internationally renowned artists such as J.M.W. Turner, L.S. Lowry and Grayson Perry. Here are our Exhibitions Assistant Laura’s five highlights to see during your visit:

  1.Pass through the hallway under the intricate Tide, a chandelier by Stuart Haygarth, created from hundreds of fragments of plastic debris found washed ashore.

  

  2. Across the sky by ceramicist Edmund de Waal. This piece created for the Gallery, inspired by his early memories of living in Lincoln and visiting the Usher Gallery, with its pale celadon glazes evokes the big skies of Lincolnshire as well as referencing much earlier Chinese porcelain in gallery two.

  

  3. Grayson Perry vases – The inspiration for 'Fantasy Village' came from a village hall watercolour exhibition. The pot depicts an alternative vision to the rural idyll portrayed there. This vase first featured in Grayson's exhibition in 2006, The Charms of Lincolnshire. It is currently on display on the first-floor landing.

  Grayson was inspired to make Sunset from a Motorway Flyover whilst walking through the landscape near his home in Walthamstow. On a winter’s afternoon in a bleak neighbourhood, he came across some atrocious graffiti, which can be seen on the pot. This vase is on display in Gallery 2 on the ground floor.

  

  4. Heads by Thomas J Price - These works depict imagined Black people based on an amalgamation of people's behaviours and 'types' represented in the media, and they reference classical and neoclassical sculpture, subverting traditional sculptural hierarchies. On display upstairs in the Heslam room.

  

  5. Alms Houses, Antwerp by William Logsdail. Lincoln born artist William Logdail painted this at the end of his time at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Antwerp, where he studied after attending the Lincoln School of Art. Notable for its rich architectural detail, this painting draws you into the gallery space and demands your attention.

  

  We hope you enjoy your next visit to the Usher Gallery. Why not share your favourite works in the comments below.

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• Maintenance at the Usher Gallery

  

  If you’re visiting us over the next few weeks - maybe you've been inspired to visit by this rehang survey - you might find certain areas closed off, or artwork covered up or in crates. Sorry we’re not looking our best at the moment, but it’s all part of work we’re doing to improve visitor experience at the gallery.

  Thanks to funding from the Usher Gallery Trust, we’re able to upgrade all the gallery lights and install blinds on the windows that will let in more natural light whilst protecting the artworks from harsh sunlight.

  We want people to still be able to access free art in Lincoln so the gallery will remain open, just with certain areas closed off to visitors where we’re installing the new lights and blinds.

  We’re starting the works downstairs first. On the first floor – accessed by the central staircase – the permanent gallery spaces are still open with incredible art on display.

  Once work has finished downstairs, we will reopen the galleries on the ground floor and begin the work upstairs.

  This is separate to the rehang we will be doing later this year to change the artworks on display in the Usher Gallery. And we'd still love to hear your thoughts to help shape what the new displays will look like.

  If you want to know what areas will be open or if a particular artwork is currently on display ahead of your visit, please feel free to email us on ushergallery@lincolnshire.gov.uk.

  Thanks for bearing with us. We look forward to welcoming you to our bolder and brighter gallery very soon!

• A life’s work in art: A brief history of the Usher Gallery

  

  ‘It has long been my desire and ambition to bequeath a considerable proportion of my life’s work in art to Lincoln, and I hope that it might form the nucleus of an art gallery and museum worthy of the city’.

  James Ward Usher

  Since opening its doors in 1927, the Usher Gallery has welcomed visitors to enjoy and experience art for over 90 years.

  Established thanks to the generous donation left by local jeweller, James Ward Usher, the gallery was purpose built to house Usher’s extensive collection of watches, miniatures, porcelain and silver.

  Who was James Ward Usher?

  
  An astute businessman and avid collector, James Ward Usher devoted his life to collecting, travelling far in search of particular items to enhance his collection.

  In 1921 he died at the age of 76. Five years later the Usher Gallery was completed, designed by the architect Sir Reginald Blomfield R.A.

  The Usher Gallery, on Lindum Hill, was officially opened on the 25 May 1927 with a solid gold key by Prince Edward, the then Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII).

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• WATCH: The Prince of Wales officially opens the Usher Gallery

  Prince Edward, the Prince of Wales - later Edward VIII - opens the Usher Gallery on a visit to Lincoln in 1927.

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