Hatton Gallery

In 1926 in honour of Richard George Hatton, the then Professor of Fine Art at King Edward VII School of Art, Armstrong College, Durham University, a gallery bearing his name was constituted. The Hatton Gallery was to continue its association with the school of art and later became the Department of Fine Art at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne for many years.

The original collection comprised a small quantity of 19th-century works which by the end of World War I were enhanced by a bequest of local artist William Henry Charlton (1846-1918). After Charlton's death, his brother George Frederick Charlton, donated more than 1,700 individual items including watercolours, oils, drawings, prints and forty-six sketchbooks mainly of local Tyneside views and north-eastern coastal views. Other works included were by the artist's extended family such as John Charlton and Hugh Charlton. Following the formation of the Hatton, all of these artworks were passed over to the gallery. When Lawrence Gowing was at Newcastle as Professor of Fine Art in the 1960's the collection expanded by acquiring paintings from the Renaissance to the mid-20th century. Further enhancement took place when, during the 1960's-1980's several donations were made by the Contemporary Art Society. Perhaps the most singularly important acquisition was the donation by Harry Pierce. His donation of the 'Elterwater Merzbarn' by Kurt Schwitters is of international significance.

By the millennium, Hatton’s permanent collection comprised more than 3,500 works, ranging from the Renaissance to the twentieth century. It included such diverse and important artists as Francis Bacon, Walter Sickert, John Martin, Patrick Heron, William Roberts, Richard Ansdell, Richard Hamilton and the previously mentioned Schwitters. In 2009 the gallery with other local museums such as the Laing Art Gallery, Shipley Art Gallery and Sunderland Art Gallery all became part of the Tyne and Wear Archives & Museums. The new £26 million museum can be found on the site of the former Hancock Museum.