Herbert Art Gallery

Named after local industrialist and philanthropist Sir Alfred Herbert, building work started on the gallery in 1939 but the outbreak of World War II halted its progress. By 1946 Coventry lay in ruins and it not until 1952 that new plans were drawn up for the building of the gallery. The foundation stone was laid in 1954 and two years later the original plans were revised to include space for a natural history collection and a science room. Alfred Herbert its principal benefactor died three years before the gallery was officially opened in March 1960. The Gallery holds paintings, drawings and sculptures by artists as diverse as Roger Fry, Robert Bevan, Barbara Balmer, Terence Flanagan and David Graham. The drawings and studies for Coventry Cathedral by Graham Sutherland are also in the collection and a visit to the nearby Cathedral is essential.

Number of Artists referenced: 153