The language of flowers explored through Barnsley’s art collections

THE Language of Flowers is this year’s summer exhibition at Cannon Hall Museum, near Barnsley. Visitors can discover the meanings of all kinds of different flowers represented in displays of the fine and decorative art collections of the museum service.

The exhibition explores the traditional language of flowers through the centuries, focusing on the popularity of floral design in the Victorian period. It also looks at the use of flowers in different artistic styles from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. 

Thanks to a generous loan from the Trustees of the Cooper Art Gallery a number of beautiful paintings will be displayed alongside Cannon Hall’s fine examples from the ceramics, glass and social history collections. These paintings include works by nineteenth century European artists from Italy and France, as well as twentieth century artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant. 

Also on display for the very first time will be a still life of flowers in a vase by Florance Hold. This was a recent donation to Cannon Hall Museum by a descendant of the Hold family. Florance’s father, Abel Hold, was a well-known artist who lived and painted in Cawthorne in the nineteenth century.

The Museum will also be displaying contemporary works by local artists Christine Morris and Gwenda Midgeley. 

The exhibition opens on Wednesday, 9 July and closes on Sunday, 31 August.

For further information please contact Natalie Murray on 01226 790270 or e-mail nataliemurray@barnsley.gov.uk

ENDS

Issued by press office, Barnsley MBC, 01226 773375, email: pressoffice@barnsley.gov.uk