Blitzed! War Artists in Bath

A MAJOR new exhibition to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War opens on Saturday (April 30) at the Victoria Art Gallery in Bath.

Blitzed! War Artists in Bath will show how the city of Bath and its people were affected by the Second World War, especially the Bath Blitz of 1942 which damaged 19,000 buildings and killed over 400 people.

The exhibition- staged by Bath & North East Somerset Council – features works of art by 23 artists including well known war painters such as John Piper alongside lesser known local artists such as Clifford Ellis, Leslie Atkinson and the fireman artist William Haines.

Pictures have been lent by national museums and private collectors throughout Britain.

The paintings, drawings and photographs record a wide range of aspects of Bath during the Second World and include the aftermath of the Bath Blitz (April 25, 26 and 27 1942), clearing bomb sites, rescuing the injured and repairing homes.

They also record everyday life in the city and how the people of the time got on with their lives despite the bleakest of circumstances.

Alongside the works of art will be objects from the war donated by local people after a very successful appeal by the Gallery.

These have included gas masks, a wartime radio, ration books, letters and diaries. The Gallery will also be displaying for the first time the weathervane from the church spire of St James’s which was destroyed during the Bath Blitz.

Staff at the Gallery have also been interviewing local people about their memories of wartime Bath.

These have been filmed and will be shown throughout the exhibition – afterwards the video will be kept by the Council as a permanent oral history record of Bath during the Second World War.

A series of free talks has also been organised to accompany the exhibition. The first of which will take place on Saturday, April 30 by Martin Wainwright MBE – the author of the Bath Blitz. This will be held at the Gallery from 12.10pm-12.45pm.

The Victoria Art Gallery, near Pulteney Bridge in Bath, is open Tuesday to Friday (10am-5.30pm), Saturday (10am-5pm) and Sunday (2pm-5pm). The Gallery is closed on Monday and admission is free.

To find out more about the Victoria Art Gallery log on to the website at www.victoriagal.org.uk or call Tel: 01225 477231.