John Constable’s The Cornfield, one of the most beloved paintings from the National Gallery’s London collection, is to be displayed in The Churchill Shopping Centre, Dudley, as part of a nationwide tour.
The painting, which has come to Dudley borough as part of the bi-annual Visits programme, is on display at units 18-20 until Sunday, July 2. It has previously been in Basildon, Newport on the Isle of Wight and Jarrow and will continue its journey until mid-July.
A wide range of activities are on offer for visitors to take part in at the exhibition site in Dudley town centre, which is open from 10am to 4pm. The fun includes art sessions with glass pens and collage materials, historic tours of the town centre and talks on the local glass industry and the landscape art of the Black Country. Pieces from Dudley Museum’s collection will also be on display alongside Constable’s masterpiece.
Completed in Constable’s London studio in 1826, The Cornfield depicts a lane shown winding into a vibrant cornfield, based on a path which the artist often walked along as a boy. The painting often inspires viewers to think about what home means to them and how it makes them feel.
Kristien Neve from LCP Group, which owns and manages the Churchill Shopping Centre, said: “This is a unique opportunity to bring an iconic piece of art from the National Gallery collection to a wider audience in Dudley.
“We couldn’t be more pleased to host this beautiful Constable painting at the shopping centre and hope local people and visitors from further afield come and see The Cornfield while they have the chance.”
Rob Ellis, director (shopping centres) at LCP, added: “It’s an incredible honour for an LCP shopping centre to be selected to host this magnificent painting and we had no hesitation in agreeing to it.”
Councillor Paul Bradley, deputy leader of Dudley Council, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome The Cornfield to Dudley for our residents to enjoy. Being selected as one of the partners for the National Gallery’s Visits tour is a great honour for us.
“The artwork is available to view throughout the week with many activities to enjoy on site, so I hope visitors from the borough and beyond will make the trip into the town centre and take the opportunity to see this world-famous piece of art.”
Gabriele Finaldi, director of the National Gallery, said: “Running the Visits tour is a highlight for us at the Gallery. It is an exciting way for us to connect with new partners all over the UK, and to be part of their outstanding work with their local communities.
“Through our collection we want to enrich lives by connecting art, people and ideas across centuries, countries and cultures; our partners drive the conversations about the painting and how they want to respond to it.
“It is always exciting to see the playful, creative and inclusive learning opportunities that grow out of these collaborations.”
Mary McMahon, Bernays Curatorial Fellow of British Paintings, said: “Constable’s paintings encourage us to engage with the beauty of the countryside that surrounds us in the UK, and the role memory plays in our attachment to it.
“It’s the perfect painting to remind everyone who sees it that wild spaces, just like great art, belong to us all.”
Previous Visits tours have not only introduced thousands of people to the National Gallery but have also provided the opportunity to engage with and benefit from culture in their local areas in the longer term.
Audiences all over the UK who said they were not regular visitors to cultural spaces responded afterwards that they were interested in seeing art again in the future. Workshops and activities delivered in partnership with local museums and galleries helped them grow their own audiences in turn.
Participants in workshops remarked afterwards on how inclusive they had found the experience and described feeling more confident in themselves and their ability to create art and express themselves.
