South-West
Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden, St Ives, Cornwall
Many of the sculptures are where Hepworth placed them herself, in the breezy, light-filled gardens of Trewyn Studio, where she came to live with her family at the outbreak of the Second World War. In 1968, she was awarded the Freedom of St Ives in acknowledgement for her role in enhancing the profile of the town, now renowned as a westerly art Mecca. The museum is managed by nearby Tate St Ives.
Hauser & Wirth, Bruton, Somerset
The philanthropic Swiss family-founded contemporary-art dealership chose the hitherto unsung town of Bruton for its other British gallery (after London) and the area has boomed. The company renovated dilapidated buildings at Durslade Farm, surrounded by magnificent landscaped areas by Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf, and there’s a renowned café and farm shop, plus a gallery on the High Street.
Marine House and Steam Gallery, Beer, Devon
Mike and Rosemary Lambert were looking to escape London when they bought Marine House in the understated fishing village of Beer, on the east Devon Jurassic Coast, and ‘in a moment of inspiration, some might say madness’ turned it into a gallery in 1998. In 2002, they opened the Steam Gallery opposite, with an emphasis on glass and sculptural pottery. Among other lovely stuff, the Lamberts represent the landscape painter Andrew Coates and Marine House is the chosen gallery of the late Michael Morgan.
Newlyn Art Gallery & The Exchange, Cornwall
In 1895, the Newlyn School of Art founded its own exhibition centre, thanks to the gift of land from the Le Grice family and the generosity of the philanthropist and social reformer John Passmore Edwards, whose birth bicentenary is this year. The Newlyn collection has now moved to Penlee House (see below) and the gallery mainly features contemporary art. It was considerably redeveloped in 2007, with a light-filled slate and glass extension and a pavilion with views over Mount Bay, plus the purchase of a telephone exchange as a second venue. A forthcoming exhibition, ‘I Chose This’ (June 24–September 16), features 61 works selected by children for loan to nine primary schools in west Cornwall.
Penlee House Gallery & Museum, Penzance, Cornwall
This site has the atmosphere of a private Victorian house, which is exactly what it was: built in 1865 for Cornish merchants the Branwell family and set in a tropical garden. As well as the museum collections, including one of birds’ eggs, it has a permanent collection
