New exhibition at Glynn Vivian Art Gallery

Nov. 28, 2008 - PRLog -- A new exhibition ‘Winifred Coombe Tennant – A Life through Art’ is to open at the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery.

The exhibition, which is open from 13 December to 15 February, is of particular significance to Swansea. Winifred Coombe Tennant supported many local artists and became one of Wales' most significant art patrons of the 20th century.

The exhibition is curated by Peter Lord and includes works by Evan Walters, Kyffin Williams, Gwen John and John Elwyn with work from both private and public collections, organised by The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth.

Much of the work is from the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, where she played such a formative role.  

Jenni Spencer-Davies Curator of the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery said “Winifred Coombe Tennant was an extraordinary woman. She was a suffragette, political activist and collector of art, her life is revealed in the exhibition”.

Winifred’s mother was Welsh and there were close family connections to Swansea, but she grew up mostly in France and Italy. Winifred moved back to Wales when she married Charles Coombe Tennant in 1895 and settled in the Neath Valley.

Artists from nearby mining villages produced work that Winifred did so much to promote, often in collaboration with William Grant Murray former Curator of the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery.

She was a feminist who campaigned for women’s suffrage from before the Great War, and became involved in party politics through her relationship with the Prime Minister, David Lloyd George.

Winifred stood for parliament in 1922 but did not get in, a fact which she regretted all her life. This led in part to the redirection of her attention toward the support of young Welsh painters.

After 1931, she moved to London and became the official buyer for the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, acquiring works by Cedric Morris, Morland Lewis, Augustus John and Gwen John - including her now celebrated portrait, The Nun.

A full colour publication, ‘Winifred Coombe Tennant - A Life through Art’ by Peter Lord, published by The National Library of Wales, is available from the Gallery, priced £30.

The exhibition is free to view and opens on 13 December until 15 February. For more information telephone 01792 516900, or visit http://www.swansea.gov.uk/glynnvivian.

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