William Stott of Oldham 1857 – 1900: A Comet Rushing to the Sun
6 December 2003 – 24 April 2004

A Comet Rushing to the Sun is the first major exhibition for over 100 years of work by leading 19th century artist William Stott of Oldham.

William Stott was the son of an Oldham mill owner. After studying in Oldham and Manchester he went to Paris where he achieved rapid success, exhibiting regularly at the Paris Salon.

On returning to England, Stott occupied a prominent place among Whistler’s followers. However in 1887 The Birth of Venus, his painting of Whistler’s mistress Maud Franklin depicted naked, caused a rift between the two artists. In his latter years he exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy, before his early death at the age of 42 on a sea crossing to Ireland.

The exhibition includes over 80 paintings and pastel drawings from throughout Stott’s career, showing the wide range of styles and influences he explored in his work.

These include figures in landscape for which he is particularly well known, such as early works Girl in a Meadow (1880) and The Ferry (1882), which both helped to establish his reputation as an important British Impressionist painter.

Some of Stott’s most enduring and powerful works are landscapes. These include dramatic Alpine scenes and seascapes of the Cumbrian coastline at Ravenglass. Much of his later work is highly decorative and depicts scenes from mythology and the legends of King Arthur.

Almost a quarter of these paintings are from Gallery Oldham’s collections and others are on loan from galleries across the country. More than half come from private collectors and many of these have never been on public show before.

A catalogue accompanying the exhibition is available. For more information and to place an order please contact us on 0161 911 4653 ecs.maria.sienkiewicz@oldham.gov.uk

William Stott of Oldham 1857-1900: ‘A Comet Rushing to the Sun’ is supported by the Granada Foundation, the Marc Fitch Fund, the Paul Mellon Centre, and David Bellis.

Image: Girl in a Meadow, 1880 by William Stott © Tate, London 2003