Press Releases

The collection of art works, which reflect artist John Piper’s unique vision of Wales, was acquired on generous terms for Wales’national art collection in 2014. The series of works by Piper –the mid-20^th century neo-romantic artist –was purchased by Amgueddfa Cymru–National Museum Wales from a private individual with links to Wales, thanks to the generous support of the Heritage Lottery Fund (£472,900), the Derek Williams Trust (£350,000) and the Art Fund (£80,000).  Much of the collection, including nine further works given to Amgueddfa Cymru as a gift.

The mountains of North Wales provided a key source of inspiration to Piper from the early 1940s to the mid-1950s, during which time he rented two cottages in the Snowdonia area. Using these as a base, he travelled round this landscape capturing the complex, semi-abstract forms and rich colours of the mountains.

The art works by Piper were first shown at National Museum Cardiff in 2012, when they were privately owned, and then toured to Oriel y Parc in Pembrokeshire and the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester. Then in 2014, the collection of paintings were shown as part of a new exhibition at National Museum Cardiff  inspired by Wales’Celtic past, folklore and landscape.

For the new tour, twenty major works on paper from this acquisition which focus on John Piper’s work in Snowdonia will be on display at Oriel Plas Glyn y Weddw, while Oriel Ynys Mon will show the full collection next year.

The tour of these Snowdonia images to Plas Glyn y Weddw and Oriel Ynys Mon has been generously funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The funding includes a year long learning project to broaden engagement with the paintings, and has enabled Amgueddfa Cymru to share skills through the appointment of a dedicated Learning Trainee.

The exhibition at Oriel Plas Glyn y Weddw has been made possible through the Welsh Government’s Cyfoeth Cymru Gyfan - Sharing Treasures scheme, which enables museums across Wales to borrow from national collections.

David Anderson, Director General, Amgueddfa Cymru –National Museum Wales said:

“We are delighted that this important John Piper collection is being loaned to Oriel Plas Glyn y Weddw and Oriel Ynys Mon and that the artists’s vision of Wales can be enjoyed by audiences across north Wales.

“This popular artist has a strong connection to north Wales, Snowdonia is one of our national heritage jewels and is beautifully portrayed in John Piper’s pieces. It is wonderful to see the works displayed in venues across Wales and used in new and exciting ways so that people can learn more about heritage. I hope visitors to Oriel Plas Glyn y Weddw will enjoy the exhibition.”

Gwyn Jones, Gallery Director, Oriel Plas Glyn-y-Weddw, added, “”We have reached an important milestone at Plas Glyn-y-Weddw. For quite some time we have been working towards establishing the venue not only as a gallery but also as an accredited museum.

Now that goal has been met, we are about to host our first loan exhibition from the collection of Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum of Wales, thanks to funding support and expertise from the museum along with MALD (formerly CYMAL), John Andrews Trust and the Friends of Plas Glyn-y-Weddw.  A long list of people have contributed towards setting suitable environmental conditions in place that allows us to host loan exhibitions of national importance here on the Llŷn Peninsula.

“We kick off our partnership with Amgueddfa Cymru with works on paper from their John Piper collection. This special exhibition titled The Mountains of Wales sets the theme for all of our exhibitions and events for the autumn.”

Amgueddfa Cymru –National Museum Wales operates seven museums across Wales including National Museum Cardiff, St Fagans: National History Museum, the National Roman Legion Museum, Big Pit: National Coal Museum, the National Wool Museum, the National Slate Museum and the National Waterfront Museum.

Entry to the Museum is free, thanks to the support of the Welsh Government.