Ruskin Collection taken from Sheffield to London

Sheffield’s Ruskin Collection has its first major showing in the capital, in Gothic venue Two Temple Place, until April 22, 2019.

The exhibition, John Ruskin, The Power of Seeing, explores Ruskin’s influence through the years in the arts, education, the economy and the environment.

Work by Sheffield-based contemporary artist, Emilie Taylor,  is also featured in the exhibition, along with examples from the city’s Metalwork Collection in a section that explores the tradition of making in Sheffield, which inspired Ruskin to bring his collection here.  

Nature-loving Ruskin’s work became increasingly focused on social and political issues from the 1950s. He believed that art is an expression of the values of a society.

The Sheffield collection was designed over 130 years ago, to create a place for workers to escape to within the busy city.

Ruskin set up a philanthropic society,  the Guild of St George, to found a museum.

In 1869 he became the first Slade Professor of Fine Art at Oxford University, and established the Ruskin School of Drawing.

A free sister exhibition which opens at the Millennium Gallery in May 29 to September 15, is rooted in Ruskin’s fascination with the marvels of the natural world.

Also part of 2019’s bicentenary celebrations, John Ruskin: Art & Wonder will explore how Ruskin championed the joy that nature can bring to our lives and the sense of awe it can evoke within us.

Visitors to Sheffield’s Millennium Gallery will discover a breath-taking selection of botanical and ornithological studies alongside an array of jewel-like geological specimens drawn from the Guild of St George's remarkable collection.

In other celebrations, Encounters with Ruskin, from April to June, will include talks, events and activities at Sheffield Central Library.

There will be over 20 free events for adults and children, including two of Ruskin's most enduring and dramatic lectures performed live.  

There will be talks about traces of Ruskin's legacy in the Rivelin Valley, in the design of the Peace Gardens, and a utopian land project in Totley.  Child-centred events will be inspired by Ruskin's only fairy-tale book for children, The King of the Golden River .