Southampton City Art Gallery will reopen to the public on Saturday 7 March 2026 following a successful refurbishment programme, unveiling a dynamic series of new displays—including a compelling selection of recent acquisitions shown together for the first time.

A standout addition is ‘Centrifugal Forces’ (2024), a new sculpture by internationally acclaimed artist Laura Ford. The work was purchased with support from the Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund and the Friends of Southampton’s Museums, Archives and Galleries. Known for blending reality and imagination, Ford creates richly crafted sculptures that draw on memory, history and social themes, using diverse media ranging from textiles to ceramics.

Visitors will also see:

• A video installation by Ian Giles. Originally commissioned by ‘a space arts’, it was shown at God’s House Tower, Southampton, in 2024 and has been acquired by Southampton City Art Gallery with Art Fund support. Everyone Involved centres around a 4-channel film featuring ‘A Gay Song’, which is heralded as the first LGBTQIA+ protest song recorded onto vinyl in 1972. In 2024 Giles reformed the original band to re-record and film the song 52 years after its inception.
• A group of works on paper gifted from the Dennis Andrews and Christopher Whelan Collection, received with Art Fund support, 2024. The selection includes works by key 20th-century British artists including Elisabeth Frink, Paul Nash, John Craxton and John Piper.
• A series of charcoal drawings by Southampton-based artist Julian Grater which explore the contemporary high arctic, a region undergoing rapid changes both glacially and on a human level. The works were part of his major 2023 solo exhibition at the City Art Gallery, Arctic Mirage.

The reopening also launches the Gallery’s major new exhibition by celebrated British artist and musician Emma Richardson. ‘Levitate Me: Desire, Ecstasy and The Sublime’ presents a vivid series of oil paintings delving into desire, euphoria and the power of the natural world through a female lens.

Alongside these new displays, highlights from the Gallery’s nationally important collection will return to display – some chosen directly by the public through social media.

A rich selection of rarely seen works on paper, digitised during the temporary closure through the Arts Council England–supported ‘Unlocking Collections’ project, will also be available to explore.

Visitors will additionally see photographs charting the refurbishment process, captured by award-winning Southampton architectural photographer Joe Low.

The £2.23m refurbishment, supported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s Museum Estate and Development Fund (administered by Arts Council England), safeguards the Grade II* listed Civic Centre Gallery  and preserves the city’s nationally significant art collection for generations to come.

Councillor Alex Winning, Leader of the Council, said: “We are proud that Southampton holds one of the finest regional collections in the UK. This is largely due to the generosity of individual donors and grant giving bodies which have provided exceptional support over the years and continue to do so today. We hope that this will carry on long into the future to support our wonderful Gallery for residents of Southampton and our many visitors to enjoy.

I can’t wait to see all the new artworks as well as Emma Richardson’s exhibition in this wonderful space that is such a great cultural asset for our city.”

Leanne Manfredi, National Programmes Lead, Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund, Victoria and Albert Museum said: “The Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund supports the purchase of a wide range of material for the permanent collections of non-nationally funded organisations in England and Wales. We are delighted that the major new acquisition, Centrifugal Forces, 2024, by the internationally acclaimed artist Laura Ford has been acquired by Southampton City Art Gallery.  Its place in the newly refurbished displays form part of a series of exciting new acquisitions shown for the first time since they have come into the collection. The work will inspire audiences for years to come.”

Laura Ford, artist, said: “I am thrilled to be included in the Southampton City Arts Gallery hugely impressive and internationally renowned collection, and I would like to thank all those who have made the purchase possible.”  

Image provided by Laura Ford and Joe Low Photography