Watts Contemporary Gallery
Watts Contemporary Gallery curates year-round commercial exhibitions of contemporary art, craft and design. Supporting the work of local and emerging artists alongside artists of national significance, the gallery’s programme reflects G F and Mary Watts’ founding vision of a contemporary artistic community at the heart of the Watts Gallery - Artists’ Village
All proceeds from this exhibition programme supports both contemporary artistic practice and sustains Watts Gallery Trust’s Art for All Learning & Public Programme, which engages over 30,000 participants a year with art and creative practice through workshops, courses, talks and tours. To find out more about our Art for All programme, please click here.
Watts Contemporary Gallery is located in the former Pottery Building above the Shop. It was here that Mary Watts founded the Compton Potters’ Arts Guild in 1901, a social enterprise that trained apprentices in ceramic practice and sold wares to many prestigious companies including Liberty & Co. The Guild operated as a successful commercial business on site until 1956.
Past exhibitions at Watts Contemporary Gallery have included works by HRH The Prince of Wales, Sir Peter Blake, Richard Bawden, Mary Wondrausch OBE, Norman Ackroyd CBE RA, Anne Desmet RA, Chris Orr RA, Anita Klein RE, Royal Society of Portrait Painters, Greenwich Printmakers and renowned Surrey artists including Celia Lewis, Lucy Burley and Diane Croft.
Current Exhibition:
9 July - 12 September
Featuring mixed-media works by some of Britain’s most well-known wildlife artists, including Robert Gillmor MBE, Celia Lewis, Richard Spare, Claire Harkess, Robert Greenhalf and Susan O’Byrne.
Future Exhibitions:
Colour in Clay
18 September - 31 October
Featuring ceramics by Bisila Noha, Barry Stedman, Ali Tomlin, Richard Phethean, Adam Frew, Tanya Gomez, Paul Jackson, Carolyn Genders and Emily-Kriste Wilcox.
