Visual Art

Sheffield has a rich and varied collection of over 5,000 paintings, watercolours, prints, drawings, photographs and sculpture that portray the development of British and European art from the 17th century to the present day.

The Modern British Collection is one of the most important in the country outside of the Tate Gallery. It includes works by many of Britain’s most significant 20th century artists including Gwen John, Sir Stanley Spencer, David Bomberg, Henry Moore, Frank Auerbach and John Hoyland.

Paintings by artists such as Cezanne and Bonnard are included in the European 20th Century collection. Other key artists, including Dali, Miro, Picasso, Schiele, Toulouse-Lautrec and Vuillard, are represented by works on paper.

The development of painting in the 18th and 19th centuries is illustrated through the works of a number of significant artists. These include Thomas Gainsborough, JMW Turner, Tissot and the Pre-Raphaelite artists Burne-Jones, Rossetti and Millais.

Significant works by English, Spanish, Dutch and Italian 16th century painters are the oldest in the city’s collection. These Old Masters include Jan Mytens, Morales, Ribera, Murillo, Proccaccini and Pittoni.

We are currently working on our online visual art collection. In the meantime you can search the collection on the excellent new BBC/Public Catalogue Foundation website here

Disclaimer: Museums Sheffield respects the intellectual property rights of others. We have made all reasonable efforts to gain permission to reproduce images from copyright holders but have not always been able to identify an owner.