Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery
Commissioned by Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council, the building was designed by staff of the architecture and planning department, opening to the public in 1964.
Doncaster's strength is its collection of works on paper which include a large body of images relating to horse racing. Most works date from the 19th and 20thcentury, including a number of 18th-century portraits by Joseph Wright of Derby.
The modern collection has a strong focus on 20th-century works by British artists, including a large group of prints and drawings by Sir Frank Brangwyn RA and a selection of works by Maggi Hambling, Carel Weight, Laura Knight and Patrick Caulfield.
The museum also holds a group of works by Jewish Eastern European artists, including the 1940s émigrés, Horace Brodzky and Bernard Meninsky. The collection rotates on a regular basis, with in-house exhibitions drawing attention to different aspects of the collection.
Editor's note:
The museum and art gallery in Doncaster was established as a municipal project — it does not have the grand Victorian architecture that emerges from the gesture of a great patron, this is a well-intentioned building, planned and designed by officers from the town who felt that Doncaster must have a place for the people to see art and an array of collections as the citizens of other towns and cities in the UK would have. This great intention is less of a priority just at the moment, but the building and the displays are much cared for. Walking through the front door the terrazzo floors and generous reception desk provide a warm welcome.
images
