The Victoria Art Gallery in Bath has announced 'The Transience of Light,' the first posthumous exhibition dedicated to the celebrated British printmaker Norman Ackroyd CBE RA. Opening on May 22, the retrospective features over five decades of etchings, ranging from his early 1980s works to his final pieces. Co-curated by the gallery’s senior curator Nathalie Levi alongside Ackroyd’s family and studio manager, the show includes archival material and a diverse range of subjects including his iconic remote coastal landscapes, cityscapes, and interiors.
This exhibition serves as a significant cultural milestone following the artist's death in 2024, marking the first major institutional evaluation of his legacy. Ackroyd was a titan of British landscape art, known for his technical mastery of etching and his adventurous spirit in capturing the atmospheric light of the British Isles' most remote edges. By collaborating closely with his Bermondsey studio, the gallery provides a rare, personal perspective on his practice, reinforced by a new catalogue featuring contributions from Sir Christopher Frayling.