This vibrant new exhibition brings out from store some of our most popular early 20th century paintings, collected by the first curators after Annie and Merton’s deaths in the 1920s.

In making the very first acquisitions for the gallery, the Russell-Cotes' curators decided to focus on collecting contemporary works produced by local artists, particularly those who were part of the Bournemouth Art Club. They managed to secure works by Henry Lamb, Leslie Moffatt Ward, Bernard Gribble and Eustace Nash, before expanding their collecting to include other examples of Modernist practice from national institutions such as the Contemporary Arts Society and the War Artists’ Advisory Committee.

This exhibition brings together a selection of these early acquisitions – including several that are usually kept in storage – to explore the art of the 20th century. It features portraits, landscapes and scenes of spiritual and modern life, as well as sculptural pieces.