Chichester’s Pallant House Gallery offers busy exhibition programme

Two exhibitions already up and running are Dora Carrington: Beyond Bloomsbury (until April 27) and Maggi Hambling: Nightingale Night (also until April 27). Continuing until April 20 is Young Pallant Artists Select: Screenprints.

Then comes Seeing Each Other: Portraits Of Artists from May 17-November 2.

A spokesman said: “This exhibition will explore how artists working in Britain in the 20th and 21st century have portrayed each other to reflect on identity and their place within artistic circles and the history of art. Shedding new light on famous relationships while bringing to the fore hidden stories and lesser-known artists, the exhibition will look at how close bonds and intimate relations have been catalysts for creativity. Exploring mutual emulation, rivalry and homages to past artists, the exhibition will look at 125 years of British portraiture to consider the intersection between friendships, inspiration and selfhood. Seeing Each Other: Portraits of Artists will showcase leading British artists, including Michael Andrews, Patrick Caulfield, Lucian Freud, Maggi Hambling, Nina Hamnett, Barbara Hepworth, Lubaina Himid, Curtis Holder, Augustus John, Mary McCartney, Ben Nicholson, Winifred Nicholson, Celia Paul, Walter Sickert, Christopher Wood and many others.”

Rana Begum: No. 1367 Mesh continues until July 2026.

“A site-specific installation by award-winning visual artist, Rana Begum is displayed in the Gallery’s historic house as a response to its staircase. Begum’s work focuses on the interplay between light and colour, blurring the boundaries between sculpture, painting and architecture. Her distinctive visual language is characterised by repetitive geometric patterns and draws on urban landscapes as well as traditional Islamic art and architecture. The Gallery's Staircase Commissions bring contemporary art to the heart of the 18th century townhouse. Previous commissions have included Nina Saunders, Francesco Toledo, Spencer Finch, Bouke de Vries, Clare Woods and Pablo Bronstein.”

Also coming up is Rana Begum Curates Pallant House Gallery’s Collection (May 17-November 2).

“To coincide with her staircase commission, Pallant House Gallery has invited the artist Rana Begum to curate its extensive collection of Modern and Contemporary British art. Begum’s selection will celebrate some of the Gallery’s masterpieces while revealing many of its hidden gems. Seen through the eyes of an artist whose practice distils spatial and visual experience into ordered form, Pallant House Gallery’s collection will be seen alongside loaned works by emerging artists especially selected by Begum, to create a dialogue across time, media and approaches.”

Also programmed is William Nicholson (November 22-May 31 2026).

“The first major presentation of his work since 2004, this monographic exhibition will span the career and extraordinary versatility of William Nicholson’s artistic vision. An artist whose work defies categorisation, Nicholson sat both at the heart of the artworld and apart from artistic movements. The exhibition will consider Nicholson’s spectacular output afresh, from his acclaimed prints and book illustrations to his sensitive portraits of individuals of all ages and from all groups in British society. From unrivalled still lifes to expansive landscapes, Nicholson’s pictures are not mere representations of the visible world or scenes ripe with hidden symbolism; his are paintings of dazzling brushwork and exquisite colours that speak of his delight in the observation of his subjects. And yet, this exhibition shows Nicholson’s work is more complex than previous interpretations have suggested but a product of the artist’s times as revealed by his portrayals of key figures of the British Empire and his close relationship with London’s theatre world.”