St.Barbe Museum and Art Gallery, Lymington

 Between Bournemouth and Emsworth, is the fabulous St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery at Lymington, which I visited after the Russell-Cotes before Christmas. It's housed in a Victorian building which might have been a school, and walking from the adjacent public car park, it's hard to know what you will find. The transition as you walk round the corner to the front of the building, is really amazing, the front of the building has been transformed to a welcoming space, with a workshop to the left and a bustling cafe and shop visible from the pavement. 

It's well worth having a look at their website to find out more about their vision, and programmes. With limited time, we were just visiting the Gallery to see the Unsettling landscapes: The Art of the Eerie which runs until 8 January. This is what they say on their website about the Gallery:

Since the St Barbe Galleries opened in 1998 they have established a reputation for hosting one of the best exhibition programmes in the region. The gallery specifications enable us to show works from national collections and this has resulted in major exhibitions that have drawn acclaim from across the UK.

Our unique exhibitions have regularly been supported by Tate, V&A, British Museum, Imperial War Museum, National Maritime Museum as well as many regional galleries and private collections. This has enabled us to show exciting exhibitions on individual artists such as Evelyn Dunbar, Lucy Kemp-Welch, Randolph Schwabe and Sven Berlin and themed exhibitions on topics including 18th century marine painting, the Women’s Land Army, Coastal landscapes and The Seasons

The galleries showcase the best art from across the region including exhibitions by nationally renowned artists such as Kurt Jackson, Geoffrey Dashwood and Jeremy Gardiner. We have also hosted group exhibitions by the Royal Society of Marine Artists, the Society of Wood Engravers, the Society of Wildlife Artists and our popular Annual Open Exhibition.

As you can see from the photograph below, the Galleries are beautifully presented, as they say in their information. I really enjoyed the exhibition, as they say, landscapes are often depicted as rural idylls, this exhibition has gathered together a different vision. Photography was not allowed in the exhibition, there are a few photos on the website

 I was unable to hold back on the Kurt Jackson painting, but took it from the side so no one could think I wanted to do anything with it apart from putting it on this blog.

Here's another view of the gallery:

I'll certainly be looking out for more exhibitions at St Barbe Museum and Gallery, and hope to spend more time there on the next visit.