Marie Hartley: A Glimpse of Yorkshire

Two groups of student curators, from the MA Art Gallery and Museum Studies course at the University of Leeds, have worked with the University of Leeds’ Art Collection to create two unique displays.

This exhibition will showcase a selection of the vast number of artworks by Marie Hartley in the University’s art collection. Taking in the sights of Yorkshire through her watercolours, ink drawings and photographs, visitors are encouraged to continue Hartley’s work by exploring, researching, and documenting the region for themselves.

Marie Hartley (1905-2006) was a Yorkshire-born artist, illustrator and author who contributed to a number of books relating to the history, culture, and geography of her home.

Hartley dedicated her life to recording and preserving the heritage and traditions of Yorkshire. With her close friend, Ella Pontefract, she purchased a large number of artefacts that documented these historical traditions and after Pontefract’s untimely death in 1945, Hartley continued this work with Joan Ingilby. These objects became the main collection at the Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes, which was founded by Hartley and Ingilby.

Hartley’s passion and love for the region is evident in her illustrations that are featured in around forty books she worked on in her lifetime. Three of these books will be displayed in this exhibition at the Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery.

Visitors are asked to share their own experiences of Yorkshire via #MariesYorkshire on Twitter and Facebook.

For more information about this exhibition, see the Stanley and Audrey Burton Gallery website.
See here for details of a second display in the Education Room, curated by MA Art Gallery and Museum Studies students.

Image: Artwork by Jacob Bennett 2016. Inspired by Marie Hartley’s style and work.