Towner Eastbourne facts for kids
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| Established | 1920 (bequest) |
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| Location | College Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex |
| Visitors | 110,000 (2012) |
Towner Eastbourne is a cool art gallery in Eastbourne, East Sussex, on the south coast of England. It used to be called Towner Art Gallery. This gallery has one of the most important public art collections in the South of England. Lots of people visit it every year, more than 100,000! In 2017, ITV News called it "the region's biggest art gallery."
The gallery started in 1920 thanks to a gift from John Chisholm Towner. He was a local leader. It first opened in 1923 in an old house called Manor Gardens. That building was sold in 2005. Then, in 2009, Towner Eastbourne opened in a brand-new building. This new place is next to the Congress Theatre near Eastbourne's beach. The gallery hosted the famous Turner Prize in 2023.
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History of Towner Eastbourne
The Towner Gallery began in 1920. This was after a local leader named Alderman John Chisholm Towner passed away. He left 22 paintings and some money to start an art gallery. He wanted this gallery to be for everyone in Eastbourne. A group of local supporters and the town council helped make his wish come true.
Early Days: The Manor House
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For 72 years, the gallery was in a building called the Manor House. This old house was on the High Street in the Old Town area. The Manor House was built in the 1700s. In the 1920s, it became a public art gallery and local museum. It was a well-known historic building in Eastbourne.
The Manor House was sold in 2005 by the local council, Eastbourne Borough Council. This meant Eastbourne did not have a local art gallery for a few years.
A New Home: The Modern Building
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In 2009, Towner Eastbourne reopened in a new building. This building was made just for the gallery. It is next to the Congress Theatre. Money for the new gallery came from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Eastbourne Borough Council.
The new building cost £8.6 million. It was designed by Rick Mather Architects. It is mostly made of concrete. The new design made it easier for people to visit. It also kept the gallery's 4,000 artworks safe. The building's look was inspired by the chalk cliffs of the Eastbourne Downs.
The new building has more space for a café, a shop, and bigger art shows. It does not have a local museum like the old building did.
Changes in Management
In 2014, Eastbourne Borough Council changed how the gallery was run. They gave the job to a new charity. This charity is now in charge of running the gallery. David Dimbleby became the head of the charity's board. The council still owns the gallery building and all the artworks.
In 2017, there were talks about cutting the money the council gave to the gallery. This could have meant the gallery might have to close some parts or charge more for people to see the art. However, the gallery has continued to operate and grow.
New Look and Updates
In 2019, a German artist named Lothar Götz created a huge mural for the outside of the building. His artwork, called Dance Diagonal, is colorful and geometric. It changed how the gallery's outer walls look.
From 2021 to 2022, the gallery updated its ground floor and cinema. These changes were made to make visiting more fun. They also helped the gallery earn more money to keep going. Manalo & White architects led this design work.
The Towner Art Collection
The Towner Collection is one of the most important public art collections in the South East of England. It has more than 5,000 pieces of art. These include works by famous artists from history, modern times, and today. Some of these artists are Vanessa Bell, Henry Moore, Pablo Picasso, and Eric Ravilious.
When the gallery first started, it mostly had paintings of animals and children from the Victorian era. Now, the collection has many different types of art. These include oil paintings, watercolors, drawings, prints, sculptures, and even video art.
Over the years, many artists have given their works to the gallery. These include pieces by Walter Sickert, Pablo Picasso, and Henry Moore. In 1962, a newspaper called the Observer said Towner was "the most go-ahead municipal gallery of its size in the country." This was because it bought many modern abstract artworks.
The collection grew by adding pictures related to Sussex. It also included art made by artists from Sussex, no matter what the picture was about.
A very special part of the collection is the work of Eric Ravilious. He studied and taught at the Eastbourne School of Art. In 1982, his family loaned many of his works to the gallery. Towner has the largest collection of Ravilious's paintings, drawings, and designs in the world.
In 2023, Towner Eastbourne worked with iniva (Institute of International Visual Arts). This was part of a project called Future Collect. The project aims to make art collections better show the many different cultures in society.
