Watts Gallery

What’s on in August

During the summer holidays there are plenty of exhibitions and events for all the family, so give free rein to your creative side at Watts.

• Summer At Watts is now open Tuesdays to Sundays, plus Bank Holiday Monday, 31 August. Join us for a joyful summer season of creativity, colour and play, inspired by sunflowers and the sun. Have fun as a family with lawn games, tents and straw bales, bubble stations and much more besides.

• Picnics on the Lawn are now available for booking at Watts. Choose from three choices of baskets to get you in the summer spirit. We'll have it ready for you to enjoy in our beautiful grounds. Perfect for family days out this summer.

• The Art of Wallpaper: Morris & Co at Watts Gallery is our major exhibition celebrating William Morris, one of Britain’s most influential designers. Runs until Sunday 10 January 2027.

• Beyond Strawberry Thief is now open to the public in the Watts Contemporary Gallery. This exhibition, coinciding with The Art of Wallpaper exhibition, showcases nature paintings and prints by Rosalinda Kightley and stained glass by members of the British Society of Master Glass Painters. Runs until Sunday 13 September.

• Last chance to see ‘Women of Our Time', an inspiring decorative dinner service, created by nine artists at HMP Send. Inspired by the Famous Women Dinner Service, imagine a range of contemporary guests that Mary Watts might invite to a dinner party. Closing on Monday 31 August.

• Don’t forget, you can browse some of G F Watts's most remarkable artworks - from celebrated portraits to large-scale allegorical masterpieces. Our exhibition brings together highlights from Watts's vast career. Visitors can view Hope (1886) G F Watts's symbolic painting that influenced Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope, the title of both his address to the Democratic Convention in 2004, the manifesto he published two years later and the first volume of his autobiography.

Compton residents get 50% off admission! Valid with a proof of address.
Check the website for details of events. For more information and to book tickets:wattsgallery.org.uk/whats-on

Nestled in the beautiful Surrey Hills, Watts Gallery first opened its doors to the public in 1904. It is unique in the UK being the only purpose-built art gallery created for the display of works by a single artist, the great Victorian artist G.F. Watts (1817-1904). Over one hundred paintings and sculptures are on permanent display; spanning a period of 70 years, they include portraits, landscapes and major symbolic works.

Perched on a hillside, overlooking the Gallery sits Limnerslease, the Autumn and Winter home and studio of G.F. and Mary Watts, originally built in the Arts & Crafts style. Limnerslease recently underwent a major restoration project. Don’t miss the chance to join a guided tour and glimpse the start of this nationally important project.

To this day, the legacy of G.F. and Mary Watts lives on, with artists working onsite and a contemporary gallery selling artwork by local and national artists. Watts Gallery also runs an extensive events programme for families, adults and young people, offering the opportunity to improve your art skills, attend a lecture, or meet one of the artists in residence.

George Frederic Watts 1817 - 1904