Hales is delighted to share the first retrospective of the work of Scottish painter Wilhelmina Barns-Graham on the European continent, presented by Museum Belvédère through 20 September 2026. Featuring around seventy works spanning different periods of her career, the exhibition offers a unique introduction to one of the leading figures of British modernism.
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham (1912–2004) was a pioneer of British abstraction and a prominent member of the St Ives group. Over an oeuvre spanning seven decades, her practice was deeply shaped by place, with works consistently rooted in an exploration of nature, particularly its hidden structures and elemental forces. Travelling widely – from the Grindelwald Glacier in Switzerland to the volcanic landscapes of Lanzarote, the clay formations of Tuscany and the beaches of Orkney – Barns-Graham developed a distinctive abstract vocabulary of line, form and colour through a sustained physical and conceptual engagement with the natural world.
Click here for the Museum Belvédère website.
