Watts Gallery 1905 - 6 (Green Gallery)

Watts’s death sent ripples throughout the world and had a devastating impact on the gallery, which Mary closed so that the collection might form the core of a large travelling memorial exhibition. This allowed her to expand the size of the gallery and display more works, something that Watts himself had wanted. 

The extension was designed by Turnor and consisted of a large central gallery that ran adjacent to, and the full length of, the Red Gallery with three arches cut for access. The overall effect was to open up the gallery, making it more spacious and allowing room for viewing and contemplating the works at a distance, which had not been possible in the corridor. The design was much simpler, and green distemper on the concrete walls provided the background for the paintings, which were hung from a wooden picture rail. 

Mary also added the Sculpture Gallery at this time to house Watts’s great gesso grosso (plaster and binding) models of Tennyson and Physical Energy, which had been made at Little Holland House and the Barn Studio at Limnerslease. The hanging of the paintings was curated in Watts’s stead by Sir Charles Holroyd (1861–1917), director of the Tate and later of the National Gallery (from 1906) – a reflection of the high regard in which Watts was held within the art world. Forty-five paintings were displayed in the new Green Gallery and ninety-two in the original Red Gallery, some thirty-two additional paintings.