Museum boosts world-class collection with rare Wright paintings

Two rarely seen paintings by world-famous artist Joseph Wright have been unveiled by Derby Museums at its Derby Museum and Art Gallery.

Born and raised in Derby, Wright is widely regarded as one of Britain’s most compelling 18th century painters and is known the world-over for his ‘works depicting different effects of natural and artificial light.’

Derby Museum and Art Gallery already houses the largest collection of his works in the world.

Now, thanks to a long-term loan agreement, two more of his paintings have gone on display: ‘A Girl Reading a Letter with an Old Man Reading over her Shoulder’ and ‘Two Boys Fighting Over a Bladder’.

Tony Butler, executive director at Derby Museum and Art Gallery, said: “We are thrilled to now be the guardians of these two candlelight paintings by Wright and are very grateful to their owner for loaning them to us.

“Regional museums play a major role of shaping a sense of pride in their towns, cities and communities.

“Many also hold collections of national significance and Derby is no exception.

“In this way, civic museums are integral to a thriving cultural life in the UK. This is another very proud moment for Derby Museums.”

The new arrivals are part of a private UK collection – and have only been seen fleetingly on four previous occasions.

Referencing childhood innocence, love and the transience of life, Derby Museums hopes these paintings will have a universal appeal while capturing the attention of scholars and Wright specialists who may have never seen them before.

Mr Butler said: “To our knowledge both have only been seen publicly just four times at temporary exhibitions held in 1910, 1958, 1990 and 2016, meaning most visitors – and indeed most of the UK – will have never seen these paintings before.”

Lucy Bamford, curator at Derby Museum and Art Gallery, said: “These two works enable us to introduce an element of Wright’s work that is otherwise not well represented within Derby Museums’ existing gallery displays.

“At the same time, it’s revealing to see them within the context of Wright’s other candlelight paintings, such as his famous ‘Orrery’.

“Together, they give us our clearest glimpse yet of some of Wright’s sources of inspiration: in this case Netherlandish paintings of the 17th century.

“With the exception of just one painting, at Kenwood House in London, all other examples of Wright’s candlelight fancy pictures are either in private ownership or are found in museums in the US.

“The addition of these two works hugely enriches our offering to visitors, making world renowned art accessible to everyone, which is something Derby Museums continually strives to achieve.”

Over the past decade the museum’s team has secured many exceptional pieces by Wright, including the most recent acquisition of ‘Self-Portrait at the Age of About Forty’, featuring an oil sketch for Wright’s candlelight masterpiece ‘An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump’, which was unveiled in May 2022.

Mr Butler said: “Over the next year we plan to launch a new online catalogue of Wright’s work to make it even more widely available.

“In 2024 we will be drawing from nearly 400 of his works on paper from our collections to explore his life and work through his drawings.

“The exhibition will be held in Derby and then available to tour more widely.”