Staithes Collection

The Staithes Group Collection

When you visit the Pannett Art Gallery there is always a selection of work by the amazing Staithes Group of Artists on display. These British Impressionists painted as a group, in Whitby and along the Yorkshire coast, c. 1894 – 1909.

The development of the railway into Whitby through the 19th Century was a major factor in the expansion of tourism in this area. It made the area much more accessible to artists, many of whom were attracted to the picturesque fishing industry and coastal scenes.

The Staithes Group of Artists became part of the community, creating employment through their need for lodgings, models and artist studios, quickly becoming an important part of the local economy.

They documented local life and work, and their beautiful paintings include rural, domestic and maritime scenes as well as still life and portraiture.

A few relationships and marriages developed in this creative environment, including Isa Thompson and Robert Jobling, Laura Johnson and Harold Knight, and Hannah Hoyland and Fred Mayor.

From the group, 37 joined the Staithes Art Club (1901-1907), and our Gallery is home to the only comprehensive public display of paintings by these artists. 

 

The Bridge at Staithes (1902), by John Bowman

The Bridge at Staithes (1902), by John Bowman, was exhibited with the Staithes Art Club in 1903.
The painting was presented in memory of Dr Peter Phillips (1934-2012) OBE, DL, whose passion, vision and pioneering research culminated in a book and touring exhibition (which included the painting) in 1993, and led to the opening, by him, in 1995, of the room dedicated to The Staithes Group of Artists.