This special exhibition, held in February and March 2025, was created in collaboration with Common Works Gallery. It featured works by ten contemporary artists who each drew inspiration from a work of art relating to Wimbledon Common in the museum’s collection, reinterpreting the perspectives of intriguing figures such as Belgian refugee and anarchist Aloïs de Laet, suffragette Hilda Bather and renowned stained glass designer Hugh Arnold.
The exhibition offered a rare opportunity to see works from the Museum’s art collection, which are usually stored and carefully preserved due to their delicate nature and lack of display space. By pairing these works with contemporary reinterpretations, the exhibition vividly connected past and present, offering fresh perspectives on the timeless beauty of Wimbledon Common’s landscape.
Below Katharine Rowe drew inspiration from Aloïs de Laet’s serene depiction of a path through silver birches, transforming it into a vibrant diptych, ‘Whispers of Winter, Wimbledon Common’. She comments, “I am repeatedly drawn to Wimbledon Common as painting inspiration and it feels magical that artists historically have been too. What a wonderful way to connect with the past.”
Path between silver birches by Aloïs de Laet, Wimbledon Museum Collection.
‘Whispers of Winter, Wimbledon Common’ by Katharine Rowe.
Featured artists
- Katie Preston – A printmaker blending technical precision with intuitive mark-making.
- Katharine Rowe – Known for her vibrant oil paintings of landscapes, still lifes and portraits.
- Alastair Gordon – A contemporary artist exploring materiality and perception, reconstructing everyday objects to challenge viewers’ perspectives.
- Mel Barrett – An artist who paints scenes and objects of everyday life, creating harmonious compositions with simplified shapes and bold lines.
- Tracey English – A collage artist celebrated for her colourful and textured depictions of everyday life and landscapes.
- Jane Bain – Known for her bold and colourful silkscreen prints, Jane is fascinated by nature, light, pattern and scale.
The museum’s talented Young Wimbledon Artists who had taken part in a residency at the Museum during the summer of 2024 also contributed:
- Elizabeth O’Farrelly – A Fine Art student at Chelsea School of Art, exploring themes of home and nostalgia.
- Kate Appleby – A Wimbledon-based artist working in sculpture and drawing, often inspired by the natural world.
- Josette Britton – A textile artist creating narrative-driven illustrations, puppets, and dolls inspired by folktales.
- Lauren Pencil – A graphic designer, writer, and researcher with a focus on art, material culture and editorial design.
Visitors of all ages were encouraged to get out on to the Common and make their own sketches in response to the exhibition.
Visiting children were given a sketch pad and pencil and displayed their drawings in the Museum’s children’s corner.
Learn more
Discover the stories behind the Museum’s art collection and the intriguing figures who have called Wimbledon home. Click here to learn more.
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About Common Works Gallery
Founded by artists Katharine Rowe and Katie Preston, Common Works Gallery is a community interest company that aims to showcase artists, provide them with a supportive community and opportunities to collaborate, and finally to inspire everyone to explore their own creativity. As well as smaller exhibitions, they organise Art in the Park, a one-day arts festival in Cannizaro Park in partnership with The Friends of Cannizaro Park, and the Wimbledon Arts Trail.
Sponsorship
The exhibition was kindly sponsored by Robert Holmes & Co