19/08/2026
Today is ! 📷
In 2001, Jonathan Purcell was commissioned to produce an exhibition of photographs called Gallery Exposures, to celebrate the Art Gallery’s centenary year.
He took over 300 photographs, and 28 were chosen for the exhibition. We thought to celebrate today, we would share a few that have remained in Bury Art Museum’s permanent collection.
All the photographs show a great sensitivity to colour and composition. In the first photo, the artist uses a subtle interplay of horizontals and verticals to link the various objects which presented themselves. The rolled-up carpet is an important element as it is another horizontal, reinforcing that of the skirting board and lending weight to the bottom of the composition. It seems to anchor the lady as she gazes at EM Ward’s Fall of Clarendon, itself composed of horizontals and verticals.
🖼️ Jonathan Purcell, Untitled. Purchased from the artist as part of a commissioned exhibition, colour photograph, unsigned, not dated, 2001.
