Spreading the word

To mark its 80th anniversary Southampton City Art Gallery is the guest of the prestigious London Art Fair. Curator Clare Mitchell gives us a guided tour

- Duncan Hall

How do you sum up 80 years of history in just 25 images?

That’s the challenge facing Clare Mitchell, curator of art at Southampton City Art Gallery as the wellloved institution joins forces with London Art Fair to mark its 80th anniversary. “The idea is to try to showcase the gallery in a nutshell,” says Clare as she takes Hampshire Life on a guided tour of the purpose-built gallery. “We have got some fantastic works within the collection. We are well-known for British 20th century art, but I wanted to show that we are still acquiring works. It is quite unusual for a regional gallery to collect and acquire at the same time.”