Biggest ever exhibition of work by major British artist coming to Birkenhead’s Williamson Art Gallery & Museum

Birkenhead’s Williamson Art Gallery & Museum will present the largest ever exhibition of work by one of the most important British artists of the 20th century, Leonard McComb.

Leonard McComb: Nature and Humanity will include the best works from the artist’s estate, as well as choice loans from major public and private collections, over 60 of the artist’s best pieces, including painting, watercolour, drawings, and sculpture, will be brought together. These will include ‘Rock and Sea Anglesey’, from Oriel Môn, which, measuring over 10 metres long, is the largest drawing on paper held by any UK public collection. There will also be a selection of choice loans from Manchester Art Gallery and the Royal Academy.

The loans are supported by the Weston Loan Programme with Art Fund. Created by the Garfield Weston Foundation and Art Fund, the Weston Loan Programme is the first ever UK-wide funding scheme to enable smaller and local authority museums to borrow works of art and artefacts from national collections. The exhibition is a collaboration with Art Space Gallery|Michael Richardson Contemporary Art, and the Estate of Leonard McComb RA.

Leonard McComb RA (1930-2018) received acclaim and accolades throughout his career for his work in different mediums including painting, drawing and sculpture. This exhibition at the Williamson will have a particular focus on McComb’s ecological outlook, which can be found throughout his work. Whether portrait, still life, landscape, or sculpture, McComb’s work demonstrates his beliefs on the beauty, energy, and interconnectedness of all life.

Curator Josh Mackarell says:

“we are delighted to be able to bring this major exhibition of an important and celebrated artist to Merseyside. McComb’s work is not just relevant to our modern times for its beauty and technical brilliance, but also because its environmental outlook speaks to the fundamental debates of our time.”

The exhibition will open on Friday 14th August 2026 and run until Saturday 31st October.

Categories: 2026 | Arts & Culture | News