The Collections

Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery has a good range of oil paintings, watercolours and one of the largest public collections of Japanese woodblock prints in the UK outside of London.

Oil Paintings

We have a good range of oil paintings, mostly from the Victorian period. The oil collection includes Love of the Winds and The Seasons by celebrated Pre-Raphaelite artist Albert Moore. Frederic Lord Leighton’s Cherries: Mother and Child is often on tour internationally (it has been in China and Japan, recently) but if you’re lucky you can catch it on display here!

Watercolours

Our watercolour collection is not on permanent display, as light fades the delicate surface of the paintings. We bring them out for temporary exhibitions, or researchers/members of the public are able to make appointments to see specific items. The big names in our watercolour collection include J. M. W. Turner, Thomas Girtin and David Cox.

Japanese Prints

T. B. Lewis left his outstanding collection of Japanese woodblock prints to Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery when he died. It is one of the largest collections of such prints outside London. Included is a version of Hokusai’s The Wave, and a significant proportion of Hiroshige’s famous series 60-Odd Provinces and 53 Stations of the Tokaido Road.

Art UK

More of Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery’s Painting Collection is available to view on ArtUk.org. You can also purchase a range of high quality art prints, framed prints and also high resolution images to license for commercial from our Art UK Shop. Have a look and share with others.

Bridgeman Art Library

It is also possible to purchase prints and licenses of many of the items in our collections from Bridgeman Art Library.