Previous Initiatives: Views of York Exhibition 2012

The ancient city of York has attracted the interest of many artists and photographers through the ages.  Our major exhibition Views of York documented those aspects of the city which captured their imagination and showed how perceptions changed over time. Early coloured maps from the British Library reveal the city’s medieval structure, whilst panoramas by York-based artist Frances Place, display a skyline full of interest and spectacle.

Displayed throughout Fairfax House from  April to  August 2012 were over a hundred paintings, watercolours and photographs focusing primarily on the setting of York, the rivers, its medieval streets, the famous walls, plus panoramic views of York, all of which have inspired artists over the last four centuries.

Watercolours from the British Museum by the artist Francis Place, who settled in York in the 1680s, were included, as were atmospheric studies by the likes of Turner, Girtin, Marlow and Scarborough artist H.B. Carter. The most recent paintings were by York artists John Langton and Jake Attree, plus a dramatic watercolour of the Minster by M.H. Bradley, painted on V.E.Day 1945, with the nearby anti-aircraft searchlights trained onto the Minster’s West Front after six years of darkness.

Private loans for this exhibition were supplemented by loans from public institutions, including the British Museum, the British Library and York Art Gallery.