Finding Eva Leigh, A Harrogate Artist Rediscovered
A group of drawings by Eva Leigh (1895 – 1981) came to light when the Mercer’s volunteer team inventoried the Harrogate Art Collection. They were entranced by the delicate studies, a few of which had been displayed in the past, but many were still unmounted and had never been exhibited. With very little record of the artist, work began to piece together her biography. The story emerged of a talented, yet now largely forgotten artist whose work reflects a particular moment in time.
Born in Bradford in 1895, Eva Walker showed early artistic talent, attending art school in her teens before moving to Harrogate. Adopting the name Eva Leigh - her paternal grandmother’s maiden name, she established herself as a portrait artist and undertook commissions from a wide variety of patrons, many of them visitors to Harrogate spa. Amongst others, her sitters included H.R.H. Princess Victoria, actor Jimmy Forbes, Caroline Ingilby from Ripley Castle, Sir John Barbirolli and the entire Hallé Orchestra.
Many of these fascinating portraits remain tantalisingly anonymous. There are still many aspects of Eva Leigh’s life and career to discover, it’s hoped that visitors to the exhibition may be able to add more pieces to the jigsaw. Her work certainly deserves wider attention, and her life story is an interesting touchstone to a particular time in Harrogate’s spa history.
This research and the accompanying exhibition have been made possible thanks to generous support from the Friends of the Mercer Art Gallery. .
Not what you're looking for?
Related Events
Harrogate MG and Classic Car Club Show
Classic car show for all makes of vehicles Specific MG competition within the show. Music entertainment Fun dog show...
Odyssey Gaming Festival
THE WORLD OF VIDEO GAMES COMES TO HARROGATE Dive into the ultimate gaming adventure at Odyssey Video Games Festival...
We Think The World of You, People and dogs drawn together by David Remfry RA
David Remfry (MBE RA) has long been fascinated by the relationships that develop between dogs and their owners. This...
Loading entries...
Behind the scenes of Events
Top 5 ideas for family days out on a budget
Weekends, long summer days and school holidays are all about spending time with the family and entertaining the little...
FOLLOW NORTH YORKSHIRE’S LITERARY TRAIL
This July, hundreds of people will head to Harrogate to celebrate the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writers’ Festival, an established...
An exhibition to celebrate at the Mercer Gallery
Celebration is the current exhibition on show at the Mercer Art Gallery in Harrogate and it is just that...
Loading entries...
More Events
Sculpture in the Landscape...
ZIMBABWEAN SCULPTURE...
We Think The World of You,...
Finding Eva Leigh, A...
Harrogate Music Festival
Harewood Biennial 2024:...
Monoliths
Ripon Theatre Festival
Women On Tap - Summer Hop
Loading entries...
You may also like
Damian Smith art exhibition opening
On Friday 27th of October at 6pm to 8pm, local artist Damian Smith will be opening his exhibition at...
Cathedral Car Park Ripon (with St Marygate Car Park)
Long Stay car parks for Ripon town centre. The Cathedral car park with its neighbouring car park, St Marygate...
Citizen Songwriters present Stories of Sanctuary
On Friday 21 June, Stories of Sanctuary comes to Ripon Cathedral! Stories of Sanctuary is a touring performance piece...
Loading entries...