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This months What Artists Wear episode features choreographer and dancer Rosie Terry Toogood. She tells us about her sense of style, her love for loose fitting pieces and silhouettes which resemble the movement of aquatics forms.

Watch the full episode at the link in our bio.

This months What Artists Wear episode features choreographer and dancer Rosie Terry Toogood. She tells us about her sense of style, her love for loose fitting pieces and silhouettes which resemble the movement of aquatics forms.

Watch the full episode at the link in our bio.

This months What Artists Wear episode features choreographer and dancer Rosie Terry Toogood. She tells us about her sense of style, her love for loose fitting pieces and silhouettes which resemble the movement of aquatics forms.

Watch the full episode at the link in our bio.

This months What Artists Wear episode features choreographer and dancer Rosie Terry Toogood. She tells us about her sense of style, her love for loose fitting pieces and silhouettes which resemble the movement of aquatics forms.

Watch the full episode at the link in our bio.

This months What Artists Wear episode features choreographer and dancer Rosie Terry Toogood. She tells us about her sense of style, her love for loose fitting pieces and silhouettes which resemble the movement of aquatics forms.

Watch the full episode at the link in our bio.

This months What Artists Wear episode features choreographer and dancer Rosie Terry Toogood. She tells us about her sense of style, her love for loose fitting pieces and silhouettes which resemble the movement of aquatics forms.

Watch the full episode at the link in our bio.

This months What Artists Wear episode features choreographer and dancer Rosie Terry Toogood. She tells us about her sense of style, her love for loose fitting pieces and silhouettes which resemble the movement of aquatics forms.

Watch the full episode at the link in our bio.

This months What Artists Wear episode features choreographer and dancer Rosie Terry Toogood. She tells us about her sense of style, her love for loose fitting pieces and silhouettes which resemble the movement of aquatics forms.

Watch the full episode at the link in our bio.

This months What Artists Wear episode features choreographer and dancer Rosie Terry Toogood. She tells us about her sense of style, her love for loose fitting pieces and silhouettes which resemble the movement of aquatics forms.

Watch the full episode at the link in our bio.

This months What Artists Wear episode features choreographer and dancer Rosie Terry Toogood. She tells us about her sense of style, her love for loose fitting pieces and silhouettes which resemble the movement of aquatics forms.

Watch the full episode at the link in our bio.

This months What Artists Wear episode features choreographer and dancer Rosie Terry Toogood. She tells us about her sense of style, her love for loose fitting pieces and silhouettes which resemble the movement of aquatics forms.

Watch the full episode at the link in our bio.

"The Fever Van" by Lowry depicts an ambulance collecting a fever patient, highlighting everyday life in Salford. Unlike his atmospheric urban scenes, this painting tells a specific story, showing community suffering. The ambulance scene is viewed from a distance, avoiding sentimentality. Lowry, a self-taught artist, captures the ephemeral life of industrial towns. His use of vibrant colors and contrasting hues, akin to Pre-Raphaelite work, adds depth. The red houses and greyish-blue church, along with the chimney smoke, reflect the industrial atmosphere of Salford.

The Fever Van, Laurence Stephen Lowry, 1935

We've had an amazing response to the first week of Sir John Akomfrah's 'Listening All Night To The Rain' here at the gallery!

The work is arranged into ‘Cantos’ or movements. Canto I has transformed the gallery’s exterior, with imagery and voices from the Global Majority displayed across the portico. Inside, visitors can experience Cantos IV and V, moving through layered soundscapes, archival footage and newly filmed material from around the world.

ℹ️ Sir John Akomfrah's 'Listening All Night To The Rain' runs across the summer until 31 August.

📸 Installation view of Sir John Akomfrah, 'Listening All Night To The Rain' (Canto I), 2024 | Photo © Pete Carr

Fleetwood Hesketh came from a family of Lancashire landowners. Although they lived in the Southport area, the family had business interests in Liverpool.

Here, Wright has shown Hesketh in his hunting costume. His gun, powder horn and faithful dog are all clearly visible. The portrait creates a vivid presence. He is painted close to the picture plane and is strongly lit and meticulously observed. The outdoor setting and hunting clothes all help to give Hesketh the air of a trusted custodian of the land.

Fleetwood Hesketh, Joseph Wright, 1769

Have you explored our new exhibition Gender Stories yet?

Featuring works by Grayson Perry, David Hockney, Paula Rego, Catherine Opie, Ajamu X and many, many more, it's an exploration of gender spanning hundreds of years.

We're open from 10am Tuesday to Sunday, and admission is free, with all donations greatly welcomed.

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📸 Installation view of Arthur Stocks, 'Motherless' (1883) | Photo © Pete Carr c/o National Museums Liverpool

ℹ️ Gender Stories is supported by MAGNET and Art Fund, with funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

Scenes of middle-class life set in ancient times had been popularised by Alma-Tadema during the 1870s. The palm leaf fan and the terrace demonstrate the artist’s knowledge of ancient domestic implements and architecture. The steps leading down to the water’s edge could suggest that the girl is waiting for a friend, or a lover. Poynter may also have intended to reflect on the futility of a life without purpose. He has used the same model as in his nearby painting Psyche in the Temple of Love.

On the Terrace, Edward John Poynter, 1889

Within the Walker Art Gallery collection, among pieces by artists such as Lucien Freud and Rose Wylie, there's a unique portrait of a barefooted man in a grey suit. This surrealist painting is both of and by Wallasey-based artist Albert Richards. Richards, an aspiring artist, later served in the Army as a paratrooper during WWII and became a war artist, tragically passing away while on duty.

In this episode of the National Museums Liverpool Podcast, we chatted with Ged Clarke, a producer, director, and documentarian, about the captivating story of Albert Richards.

Listen to the full episode at the link in our bio.

Quick-fire with Rosie Terry Toogood ⚡️

We put Rosie on the spot ahead of her What Artists Wear episode dropping this Thursday 👀

Catch all 3 looks on our YouTube — don’t miss it.

This artwork has ties to an individual associated with transatlantic slavery. This is part of the Walker Art Gallery’s efforts to be transparent about the collection's connections to Britain's colonial history.

The painting's first owner was William Roscoe (1753 - 1831), who purchased it directly from the artist in 1791. Roscoe, a Liverpool lawyer and anti-slavery advocate, supported the Slavery Abolition Act (1833) which compensated former slave owners. Although not directly involved in the slave trade, his family benefited from it. His granddaughter Margaret (1812-1852) married Henry Robertson Sandbach (1807 - 1895), who received compensation for his estates in British Guiana (now Guyana).

Later, 'The Death of Oedipus' was owned by James Aikin (1792 - 1878), who acquired it before 1842. Aikin, a Liverpool merchant and shipowner, was believed to be active in the Caribbean. His children benefited from a bequest by their uncle William Aikin (died 1837), a slave owner. James Aiken donated the painting to Liverpool, making it a foundational piece of the Walker Art Gallery when it opened in 1877.

Henry Fuseli (1741 - 1825) created this artwork inspired by Sophocles’s play 'Oedipus at Colonus.' The painting depicts Oedipus as an old man facing death, with his daughters saying their farewells and mourning.

The Death of Oedipus, John Henry Fuseli, 1783 - 1784

Gender Stories and John Akomfrah: Listening All Night To The Rain is opening in just one week! That's right, Walker Art Gallery is hosting two remarkable exhibitions, both free to attend.

Gender Stories
What is gender? How have our perceptions of it evolved? How does it influence our daily lives? Dive into these questions and more in a fresh exhibition co-developed by National Museums Liverpool, Bristol Museums and Brighton & Hove Museums

Listening All Night To The Rain
'Listening All Night To The Rain' by the acclaimed British artist Sir John Akomfrah features a series of multi-channel video installations. This piece was commissioned for the British Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale in 2024.

The title is inspired by the poetry of Chinese writer Su Dongpo (1037 – 1101) during his political exile. The work delves into diasporic experiences in Britain, touching on key moments in colonial and post-colonial history, addressing themes of memory, migration, racial injustice, and climate change. It skillfully combines newly shot footage with archival images, audio clips, and global video content.

Image 1: Still from 'The Mind is a Group Muscle', Ree Bradley, 2025 featured in Gender Stories

Image 2: Still from 'Listening All Night To the Rain', John Akomfrah, 2024

Gender Stories and John Akomfrah: Listening All Night To The Rain is opening in just one week! That's right, Walker Art Gallery is hosting two remarkable exhibitions, both free to attend.

Gender Stories
What is gender? How have our perceptions of it evolved? How does it influence our daily lives? Dive into these questions and more in a fresh exhibition co-developed by National Museums Liverpool, Bristol Museums and Brighton & Hove Museums

Listening All Night To The Rain
'Listening All Night To The Rain' by the acclaimed British artist Sir John Akomfrah features a series of multi-channel video installations. This piece was commissioned for the British Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale in 2024.

The title is inspired by the poetry of Chinese writer Su Dongpo (1037 – 1101) during his political exile. The work delves into diasporic experiences in Britain, touching on key moments in colonial and post-colonial history, addressing themes of memory, migration, racial injustice, and climate change. It skillfully combines newly shot footage with archival images, audio clips, and global video content.

Image 1: Still from 'The Mind is a Group Muscle', Ree Bradley, 2025 featured in Gender Stories

Image 2: Still from 'Listening All Night To the Rain', John Akomfrah, 2024

Anne Holt was born to Emma (1802 - 1871) and George Holt (1790 - 1861). Her brother, George Holt (1825 - 1896), was a renowned Liverpool shipowner, collector, and public benefactor. He assembled the collection of British paintings at Sudley House, which was later donated to Liverpool by his daughter Emma in 1945.

Anne was an amateur artist. A descendant, also named Anne Holt, donated an album of her watercolours to the Walker Art Gallery in 1978. These works provide a glimpse into Anne's life, her travels, and the opportunities she experienced.

Foxgloves (Voyage of the S.Y. Argo), Anne Holt, 1858

No shade… but the theme felt a little lost this year. So we imagined the Met Gala red carpet borrowing from a theatre wardrobe circa 1912 and quietly raised the bar 🎭✨

With the Met Gala 2026 celebrating fashion as art and costume as cultural expression, we couldn’t help imagining what might happen if those ideas were taken a little more… literally. Enter the world of early 20th‑century theatre costume, where drama, symbolism and craft were already doing the heavy lifting.

These designs come from our collection of watercolour costume studies by George William Harris (1878–1929), a Liverpool‑based artist whose work suggests that the spirit of the Met Gala existed long before a red carpet was ever rolled out. Created for the stage rather than the spotlight, Harris’s costumes combine flair with purpose—designed not just to be seen, but to say something.

From Harlequin and Columbine for the children’s Christmas play Fifinella (1912) to the dignified Male Chorister (Act II), these looks are rich in character and clarity. A bold Scythian Guard from an unknown production wouldn’t feel out of place among today’s more “conceptual” ensembles, while a dramatic figure in red shows how colour and silhouette alone can command attention.

Working closely with Basil Dean at the Liverpool Repertory Theatre, Harris treated costume as performance, story, movement and identity. Photoshopped onto the Met Gala carpet, these century‑old designs feel surprisingly at home. Not as competition, perhaps, but as a gentle reminder that fashion’s theatrical roots run deep, and that spectacle has always been strongest when it’s backed by intention.

Which is your favourite?

1. Figure in a Red Dress (Costume Design from an Unknown Play)
George William Harris
2. Male Chorister (Costume design for 'Fifinella')
George William Harris
3. Scythian Guard (Costume Design for Unknown Play)
George William Harris
4. Harlequin and Columbine (Costume Designs for 'Fifinella')
George William Harris

No shade… but the theme felt a little lost this year. So we imagined the Met Gala red carpet borrowing from a theatre wardrobe circa 1912 and quietly raised the bar 🎭✨

With the Met Gala 2026 celebrating fashion as art and costume as cultural expression, we couldn’t help imagining what might happen if those ideas were taken a little more… literally. Enter the world of early 20th‑century theatre costume, where drama, symbolism and craft were already doing the heavy lifting.

These designs come from our collection of watercolour costume studies by George William Harris (1878–1929), a Liverpool‑based artist whose work suggests that the spirit of the Met Gala existed long before a red carpet was ever rolled out. Created for the stage rather than the spotlight, Harris’s costumes combine flair with purpose—designed not just to be seen, but to say something.

From Harlequin and Columbine for the children’s Christmas play Fifinella (1912) to the dignified Male Chorister (Act II), these looks are rich in character and clarity. A bold Scythian Guard from an unknown production wouldn’t feel out of place among today’s more “conceptual” ensembles, while a dramatic figure in red shows how colour and silhouette alone can command attention.

Working closely with Basil Dean at the Liverpool Repertory Theatre, Harris treated costume as performance, story, movement and identity. Photoshopped onto the Met Gala carpet, these century‑old designs feel surprisingly at home. Not as competition, perhaps, but as a gentle reminder that fashion’s theatrical roots run deep, and that spectacle has always been strongest when it’s backed by intention.

Which is your favourite?

1. Figure in a Red Dress (Costume Design from an Unknown Play)
George William Harris
2. Male Chorister (Costume design for 'Fifinella')
George William Harris
3. Scythian Guard (Costume Design for Unknown Play)
George William Harris
4. Harlequin and Columbine (Costume Designs for 'Fifinella')
George William Harris

No shade… but the theme felt a little lost this year. So we imagined the Met Gala red carpet borrowing from a theatre wardrobe circa 1912 and quietly raised the bar 🎭✨

With the Met Gala 2026 celebrating fashion as art and costume as cultural expression, we couldn’t help imagining what might happen if those ideas were taken a little more… literally. Enter the world of early 20th‑century theatre costume, where drama, symbolism and craft were already doing the heavy lifting.

These designs come from our collection of watercolour costume studies by George William Harris (1878–1929), a Liverpool‑based artist whose work suggests that the spirit of the Met Gala existed long before a red carpet was ever rolled out. Created for the stage rather than the spotlight, Harris’s costumes combine flair with purpose—designed not just to be seen, but to say something.

From Harlequin and Columbine for the children’s Christmas play Fifinella (1912) to the dignified Male Chorister (Act II), these looks are rich in character and clarity. A bold Scythian Guard from an unknown production wouldn’t feel out of place among today’s more “conceptual” ensembles, while a dramatic figure in red shows how colour and silhouette alone can command attention.

Working closely with Basil Dean at the Liverpool Repertory Theatre, Harris treated costume as performance, story, movement and identity. Photoshopped onto the Met Gala carpet, these century‑old designs feel surprisingly at home. Not as competition, perhaps, but as a gentle reminder that fashion’s theatrical roots run deep, and that spectacle has always been strongest when it’s backed by intention.

Which is your favourite?

1. Figure in a Red Dress (Costume Design from an Unknown Play)
George William Harris
2. Male Chorister (Costume design for 'Fifinella')
George William Harris
3. Scythian Guard (Costume Design for Unknown Play)
George William Harris
4. Harlequin and Columbine (Costume Designs for 'Fifinella')
George William Harris

No shade… but the theme felt a little lost this year. So we imagined the Met Gala red carpet borrowing from a theatre wardrobe circa 1912 and quietly raised the bar 🎭✨

With the Met Gala 2026 celebrating fashion as art and costume as cultural expression, we couldn’t help imagining what might happen if those ideas were taken a little more… literally. Enter the world of early 20th‑century theatre costume, where drama, symbolism and craft were already doing the heavy lifting.

These designs come from our collection of watercolour costume studies by George William Harris (1878–1929), a Liverpool‑based artist whose work suggests that the spirit of the Met Gala existed long before a red carpet was ever rolled out. Created for the stage rather than the spotlight, Harris’s costumes combine flair with purpose—designed not just to be seen, but to say something.

From Harlequin and Columbine for the children’s Christmas play Fifinella (1912) to the dignified Male Chorister (Act II), these looks are rich in character and clarity. A bold Scythian Guard from an unknown production wouldn’t feel out of place among today’s more “conceptual” ensembles, while a dramatic figure in red shows how colour and silhouette alone can command attention.

Working closely with Basil Dean at the Liverpool Repertory Theatre, Harris treated costume as performance, story, movement and identity. Photoshopped onto the Met Gala carpet, these century‑old designs feel surprisingly at home. Not as competition, perhaps, but as a gentle reminder that fashion’s theatrical roots run deep, and that spectacle has always been strongest when it’s backed by intention.

Which is your favourite?

1. Figure in a Red Dress (Costume Design from an Unknown Play)
George William Harris
2. Male Chorister (Costume design for 'Fifinella')
George William Harris
3. Scythian Guard (Costume Design for Unknown Play)
George William Harris
4. Harlequin and Columbine (Costume Designs for 'Fifinella')
George William Harris