Since the 1980s the art historian and exhibition curator, Peter Lord, has been exploring the myth that there is ‘no Welsh art’, discovering and recording Welsh art and artists.
On Saturday 16 November 2024 a new exhibition opened in the Gregynog Gallery at the National Library of Wales, which combines his substantial collection with items from the National Art Collection at the National Library of Wales for the first time in order to tell this important story.
Peter Lord’s collection of Welsh art and artefacts, many of which are on public display for the first time, looks at the allegation made by Griffith in 1950, and upheld by many others afterwards. His belief is that pictures should be valued not only visually but for what they say about the story of the nation.
The exhibition is a unique opportunity to view and enjoy over 250 works of art of national significance. With a central narrative running throughout, the story starts with the visual world of the gentry, middle classes and common people and moves on to various depictions of Welsh identities. Through this, it reveals the richness of Wales’ visual culture as well as Wales’ social and political history.
Rhodri Llwyd Morgan, Chief Executive of the National Library of Wales said:
“This new exhibition, which has been curated by Peter Lord, offers a highly enriching experience that is full of interesting stories and timely themes about our relationship with visual art. Peter’s deep knowledge and expertise and the effective pairing between his remarkable collection and the Library’s collections promise visitors a real feast."
Peter Lord, Art Historian and exhibition curator said: “Taking the relevance of visual images to the national historical pathway as a starting point, rather than following the aesthetic conventions of mainstream English art history, reveals a huge and undervalued cultural resource for the Welsh nation. The present exhibition not only demonstrates the absurdity of Dr Wyn Llewelyn Griffith’s dismissal of Welsh art, made seventy-five years ago, but requires us to question the implications of the mindset that lay behind it, into the present day.”
This exhibition ends 06.09.25 at the The National Library of Wales
Main Image: Jane Pryce, Gogerddan 1863, The National Library of Wales Collection
Anna Melnykova, "Palace of Labor (palats praci), architector I. Pretro, 1916", shot with analog Canon camera, 35 mm Fuji film in March 2022.
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