Southampton-born artist’s honour as major exhibition opens art gallery

Emma Richardson’s major show brings together her striking series of oil paintings with pieces she selected from the gallery’s own expansive collection.

The Levitate Me: Desire, Ecstasy and The Sublime exhibition opens to the public on Saturday, March 7, with multiple new acquisitions also on display.

It marks the reopening of the free to attend Southampton City Art Gallery after the Civic Centre venue received a major renovation.

Emma said: “It is a real honour.

“It is quite an emotional moment.

“It is my home town, Southampton, so to be able to have my first solo museum show in the city I grew up in is really special to me.”

As well as being a talented artist, Emma is a successful musician previously performing as part of Southampton group Band of Skulls and currently as bassist and backing vocalist with the Pixies.

Growing up she was a pupil at Hamble Comprehensive and attended Barton Peveril College in Eastleigh before doing a her foundation year in Winchester and completing a degree at Wimbledon School of Art.

Asked what Southampton means to her, Emma said: “It’s always been a real supportive place and there’s so much amazing art and culture and a lot of people doing a lot of brilliant things in the city.

“I’m proud to be from here and I think it’s incredible to shine a light on the city with this reopening of the whole gallery.

“It looks spectacular. The renovation just looks stunning.

“It’s a real honour to be chosen to be the kind of opening show for this and really represent the city that I’m from.”

The refurbishment was carried out to ensure the gallery section of the Grade II* listed Civic Centre and the art collection were preserved for current and future generations.

It was backed by a £2.23million grant from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s museum estate and development fund, which is administered by the Arts Council England (ACE).

Sir Nicholas Serota, ACE chairman, said: “Southampton has always had one of the best collections anywhere in the United Kingdom thanks to Robert Chipperfield and the work of curators over many, many years.

“It’s also had this very beautiful building, which was built in the 1930s, and inevitably over time it needed some repairs and maintenance.

“This project brings it back into fine shape, with beautiful light in the galleries and it looks tremendous.”

He added: “The Arts Council really only gives money when there’s energy and determination in a place that wants to really improve the facilities for the arts and that’s what Southampton City Council has done.

“It’s a real achievement on the part of Southampton City Council as well as the Arts Council.”