We are delighted to announce People Watching, a new exhibition for 2026 in partnership with Dorset Museum & Art Gallery.
Exploring the concept of image and portraiture in British art, People Watching will feature approximately 50 works of sculpture, paintings, drawings and photography from 1915 until the present day. These internationally significant works of art from The Ingram Collection will be showcased alongside works from Dorset’s own collection, some of which has never been publicly displayed before.
Represented artists include Dame Elisabeth Frink, Robert Duckworth Greenham, Dame Barbara Hepworth, Anita Klein, Kofi Perry, Dod Procter, David Remfry, and Bridget Riley. The exhibition will explore how artists continued to develop portraiture into the 20th and 21st centuries, and how the idea of what a portrait can be has changed. It will look at self-portraits, portraits of people at work or leisure, how artists have captured their family members, and how they have used portraiture in fantastical and imaginative creations. Whether quiet and reflective or playful and provocative, each portrait invites you to consider what it really means to look — and be looked at.
People Watching
Dorset Museum & Art Gallery, Dorchester
31 January – 10 May 2026
Dorset Museum & Art Gallery is the only museum in Dorset that tells the story of the county in its entirety, showing the relationship between the land and its inhabitants, and how this relationship inspired ingenuity, exploration and creativity. Covering 250 million years of history, their collections are of international significance and demonstrate the breadth of the Dorset story and its relevance to all. The Museum holds four permanent galleries and typically offers 3-4 major temporary exhibitions a year, touring or home-grown, in their designated special exhibitions space. For more information visit www.dorsetmuseum.org.
Image: Robert Duckworth Greenham (1906-1975), On the Beach, 1934, oil on canvas. The Ingram Collection © Estate of Robert Duckworth Greenham.