Compton Verney in Warwickshire is staging a major exhibition titled "Troublemakers and Prophets: Elizabeth Allen and Other Visionary Artists," running from 28 March to 31 August 2026. The show reintroduces Elizabeth "Queen" Allen (1883–1967), a self-taught British artist who created intricate patchwork artworks inspired by the Apocrypha and biblical visions, using scraps of fabric, buttons, and sequins. Despite achieving success in her lifetime, Allen fell into obscurity; the exhibition pairs her work with thematically related contemporary artists to contextualize her legacy.
The exhibition matters because it rescues a marginalized female visionary from art-historical neglect, highlighting how folk art and personal theology can produce powerful visual narratives. By connecting Allen's story to broader themes of outsider art and female creativity, the show challenges canonical art history and offers audiences a rediscovered, deeply original voice whose work speaks to issues of faith, suffering, and imagination.