Charleston unveils exhibition programme for Lewes Cultural Centre, featuring Grayson Perry and Pablo

Visitors to Charleston’s Lewes galleries will be able to visit two new exhibitions from September 25.

‘Grayson Perry: A Temple for Everyone’ will showcase works by the celebrated British artist that explore the idea of ‘home’. Grayson Perry has always explored the details of contemporary life, and the truths they tell us about ourselves through his art.

This exhibition includes tapestries, pots, ceramic tiles, and woodcuts and explores ideas such as: What does it mean to call a place ‘home’? How does our definition of home affect our sense of identity? What does it mean to be British today?

The exhibition will feature over 30 pieces from throughout Perry’s career, each telling a unique story and inviting visitors to reflect on how the spaces we inhabit shape our stories, identities and the way we see the world.

Running alongside, visitors will be able to discover the extraordinary story of how a modern art collection came into being through over 80 paintings passed on between three queer homes – that of Eddie Sackville-West, Eardley Knollys, and Mattei Radev in ‘Collecting Modernism: Pablo Picasso to Winifred Nicholson’.

Known as the ‘Radev Collection’, it is one of the biggest and most important groupings of modern British art in the country, offering an intimate perspective on the development of modernism across Europe. It is a rare chance to get up close with work by some of the most influential artists of the 20th century, including Pablo Picasso, Winifred Nicholson, Amedeo Modigliani, Graham Sutherland, and key Bloomsbury figures such as Roger Fry, Vanessa Bell, and Duncan Grant.

Nathaniel Hepburn, Director of Charleston, said: “We are thrilled to bring such a diverse artistic canon to Charleston in Lewes. Our upcoming season of exhibitions will be a colourful journey through the 20th century until present day, exploring the intersection between home and art.

"As part of our work to offer affordable cultural experiences in our community, adult tickets for our Grayson Perry exhibition will start at £5.50, and our Pay What You Can days will continue on the last Sunday of each month.”

Charleston, the gathering point of the Bloomsbury group and one of Sussex's most celebrated cultural destinations, invites visitors year-round to experience the magic and beauty of the historic house and gardens at its home in Firle.

Visitors can travel between Charleston in Firle and Charleston in Lewes, the charity’s new cultural venue, on the Sussex Art Shuttle which also links with Towner, Eastbourne and the Seven Sisters Country Park.