Hatton Gallery facts for kids
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The Fine Art Building of Newcastle University, home of the Hatton Gallery.
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| Established | 1925 |
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| Location | Newcastle upon Tyne, England |
| Type | Art museum |
| Public transit access | Bus, Metro |
| Great North Museum | |
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The Hatton Gallery is an exciting art gallery at Newcastle University in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. You can find it inside the university's Fine Art Building. It's a cool place to see lots of different kinds of art!
The Hatton Gallery had a big makeover! It closed for a while in February 2016 for a £3.8 million upgrade. It reopened in October 2017, looking better than ever. The first exhibition after reopening was called "Pioneers of Pop."
Contents
Discovering the Hatton Gallery
A Look Back: How it Started
The Hatton Gallery first opened its doors in 1925. It was started by the King Edward VII School of Art. This school was part of Armstrong College, which later became Newcastle University. The gallery was named after Richard George Hatton. He was a professor at the art school.
In 1955, a very important art show happened here. An artist named Richard Hamilton showed his artwork called Man, Machine and Motion. This exhibition was so special that many people say the Hatton Gallery was where Pop Art began! Pop Art is a style of art that uses images from popular culture.
Saving the Gallery!
In 1997, there was a plan to close the gallery. But many people loved the Hatton Gallery and wanted to keep it open. They started a big public campaign to save it. Thanks to their efforts, and a generous donation of £250,000 from Dame Catherine Cookson, the gallery was saved!
The Hatton Gallery is now a part of the Great North Museum project. This means its future is secure. Unlike some other university collections, the Hatton Gallery stayed in the Fine Art Building. It did not move to the Hancock building.
What You Can See Inside
Amazing Artworks
The Hatton Gallery has a huge collection of art. There are over 3,500 artworks! These include paintings, sculptures, prints, and drawings. The art ranges from the 14th century all the way to today.
You can see works by many important artists. Some famous names include Francis Bacon, Victor Pasmore, and Richard Hamilton. There are also watercolours by Wyndham Lewis and Thomas Harrison Hair.
The Famous Merzbarn
One of the most special artworks at the Hatton Gallery is the Merzbarn. This is the only surviving "Merz" artwork by Kurt Schwitters. Kurt Schwitters was a German artist who created art from everyday objects.
The Merzbarn was rescued from a barn near Elterwater in 1965. It was carefully moved piece by piece to the gallery. Now, it is permanently installed there. It's a unique and fascinating piece of art history!
