Exhibition: Reflections at Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum
12th September 2026 – 3rd January 2027
Open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am – 4pm, and Sunday, 10am – 3pm
Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum is set to make a splash this autumn with Reflections, a major new exhibition exploring the beauty, power and enduring influence of water through an impressive mix of historic and contemporary art.
At the heart of the exhibition is water in all its forms – seas, rivers, oceans, pools and streams – and the endlessly changing ways artists have captured its movement, light and reflections. From a gentle ripple to the overwhelming force of a flood, water becomes both subject and metaphor.
Curated with artists Wayne Warren and Jonathan Wright, the exhibition features important works on loan from the National Gallery and Glynn Vivian Gallery, including paintings by celebrated artists Boudin, Daubigny, Corot and Monet. Their fascination with light, atmosphere and shifting reflections demonstrates just how transformative water can be as an artistic subject.
These historic works will sit alongside pieces by modern and contemporary artists including David Hockney and Wilhelmina Barnes-Graham, as well as popular works from the Worcester City collection, creating an intriguing dialogue between different generations and approaches to art.
There is also a distinctly local story running through Reflections. The River Severn, the longest river in the UK, has played a defining role in Worcester’s identity, landscape and industrial heritage for centuries. The exhibition considers the river not simply as a picturesque subject, but as a powerful force that has helped shape the city – bringing prosperity and beauty while also presenting the very real threat of flooding.
Beyond the gallery walls, Reflections offers a timely reminder of our relationship with water and the responsibility to protect the seas, rivers, streams and waterways on which life depends.
With an expansive range of artistic voices and perspectives, Reflections promises to be both visually impressive and thought-provoking – celebrating water as a source of inspiration while encouraging us to consider its vital importance for the future.
Tickets for the exhibition can be booked online.
Exhibition organised by Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum in collaboration with the National Gallery, London and private lenders, and supported by Worcester Heritage, Arts & Museums charity