Founded in 1923 as the result of a bequest by Alderman John Chisholm Towner to create ‘an art gallery for the people’, this founding ethos remains at the heart of Towner’s mission. Towner’s collection is best known for its modern British art, including the largest and most significant body of work by Eric Ravilious, and acquisitions made during the period from 1958 to 1964 when the artist William Gear was Curator. The award-winning gallery designed by Rick Mather Architects opened in 2009, and is the largest purpose-built gallery in the South East. In 2019, Lothar Götz transformed the exterior walls of the gallery with his large-scale, colourful geometric artwork, Dance Diagonal.

Artists featured in this Curation: Wilfred Avery (1926–2016), Vanessa Bell (1879–1961), Margaret Dora M. Benecke (1876–1962), David Bomberg (1890–1957), George Gilbert Bonner (1924–1997), Derek Boshier (1937–2024), Jeffery Camp (1923–2020), William H. Clarkson (1872–1944), Cecil Collins (1908–1989), Robert Colquhoun (1914–1962), and 61 more
70 artworks
Storyline Album Showcase

  • Wilfred Avery (1926–2016)

    Landscape with Cliffs 1958
    Wilfred Avery (1926–2016)
    H 86.3 x W 60.9 cm
    Towner
    Landscape with Cliffs
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: Towner

  • Vanessa Bell (1879–1961)

    8 Fitzroy Street
    Vanessa Bell (1879–1961)
    Oil on canvas
    H 65 x W 47 cm
    Towner
    8 Fitzroy Street
    © estate of Vanessa Bell. All rights reserved, DACS 2024. Image credit: Towner

  • Margaret Dora M. Benecke (1876–1962)

    Manor Gardens, Autumn
    Margaret Dora M. Benecke (1876–1962)
    Oil on canvas
    H 50.8 x W 50.8 cm
    Towner
    Manor Gardens, Autumn
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: Towner

  • David Bomberg (1890–1957)

    Kitty, the Artist's Sister 1929
    David Bomberg (1890–1957)
    Oil on canvas
    H 58.5 x W 47.6 cm
    Towner
    Kitty, the Artist's Sister
    © the estate of David Bomberg. All rights reserved, DACS 2024. Image credit: Towner

  • George Gilbert Bonner (1924–1997)

    Rye Harbour, East Sussex 1960
    George Gilbert Bonner (1924–1997)
    Oil on hardboard
    H 44 x W 59.5 cm
    Towner
    Rye Harbour, East Sussex
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: Towner

  • Derek Boshier (b.1937)

    Vista City 1964
    Derek Boshier (1937–2024)
    Oil on canvas
    H 198 x W 303 cm
    Towner
    Vista City
    © Derek Boshier. All Rights Reserved, DACS 2024. Image credit: Towner

  • Jeffery Camp (1923–2020)

    Beachy Head, White Windswept Prospect 1979
    Jeffery Camp (1923–2020)
    Oil on canvas
    H 102 x W 102 cm
    Towner
    Beachy Head, White Windswept Prospect
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: Towner

  • William H. Clarkson (1872–1944)

    A Downland Park exhibited 1936
    William H. Clarkson (1872–1944)
    Oil on canvas
    H 59.5 x W 90 cm
    Towner
    A Downland Park
    Image credit: Towner

  • Cecil Collins (1908–1989)

    Dawn Invocation 1968
    Cecil Collins (1908–1989)
    Oil on board
    H 105 x W 121 cm
    Towner
    Dawn Invocation
    © Tate / Tate Images. Image credit: Towner

  • Robert Colquhoun (1914–1962)

    Woman and Goat 1948
    Robert Colquhoun (1914–1962)
    Oil on canvas
    H 29.5 x W 25 cm
    Towner
    Woman and Goat
    © the artist's estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Bridgeman Images

  • Alan Davie (1920–2014)

    Sea Gate 1960
    Alan Davie (1920–2014)
    Oil on canvas
    H 51 x W 61 cm
    Towner
    Sea Gate
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: Towner

  • Robyn Denny (1930–2014)

    Apart
    Robyn Denny (1930–2014)
    Oil on canvas
    H 239 x W 188 cm
    Towner
    Apart
    © Estate of Robyn Denny. All Rights Reserved, DACS 2023. Image credit: Towner

  • Frederick Etchells (1886–1973)

    A Group of Figures
    Frederick Etchells (1886–1973)
    Oil on board
    H 48.2 x W 55.9 cm
    Towner
    A Group of Figures
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: Towner

  • Merlyn Oliver Evans (1910–1973)

    The Orchestra Pit, Covent Garden 1959
    Merlyn Oliver Evans (1910–1973)
    Oil on canvas
    H 101.6 x W 74.9 cm
    Towner
    The Orchestra Pit, Covent Garden
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: Towner

  • Paul Feiler (1918–2013)

    Eastbourne Front from the Pier 1945
    Paul Feiler (1918–2013)
    Oil on board
    H 40 x W 53 cm
    Towner
    Eastbourne Front from the Pier
    © the artist's estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Towner

  • Ian Hamilton Finlay (1925–2006)

    Drift 1968
    Ian Hamilton Finlay (1925–2006)
    Painted wood
    H 33.5 x W 14.1 cm
    Towner
    Drift
    © By courtesy of the Estate of Ian Hamilton Finlay. Image credit: Towner

  • Elisabeth Frink (1930–1993)

    Harbinger Bird III c.1960
    Elisabeth Frink (1930–1993)
    Bronze
    H 44.5 x W 30 x D 17 cm
    Towner
    Harbinger Bird III
    © The Executors of the Frink Estate and Archive. All Rights Reserved, DACS 2024. Image credit: Towner

  • Tirzah Garwood (1908–1951)

    Orchid Hunters in Brazil 1950
    Tirzah Garwood (1908–1951)
    Oil on canvas
    H 30.5 x W 40.5 cm
    Towner
    Orchid Hunters in Brazil
    Image credit: Towner

  • Henri Gaudier-Brzeska (1891–1915)

    Sleeping Fawn 1913
    Henri Gaudier-Brzeska (1891–1915)
    Green patinated bronze
    H 10.5 x W 24.5 x D 15 cm
    Towner
    Sleeping Fawn
    Image credit: Towner

  • William Gear (1915–1997)

    Landscape Composition 1951
    William Gear (1915–1997)
    Oil on canvas
    H 55 x W 43 cm
    Towner
    Landscape Composition
    © the artist's estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Towner

  • Harry Phelan Gibb (1870–1948)

    Three Graces 1911
    Harry Phelan Gibb (1870–1948)
    Oil on cardboard
    H 130 x W 100 cm
    Towner
    Three Graces
    Image credit: Towner

  • Laura Sylvia Gosse (1881–1968)

    Grande patisserie, Place Nationale, Dieppe, France 1930
    Laura Sylvia Gosse (1881–1968)
    Oil on canvas
    H 42 x W 57.5 cm
    Towner
    Grande patisserie, Place Nationale, Dieppe, France
    © the artist's estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Bridgeman Images

  • Duncan Grant (1885–1978)

    The Glade, Firle Park, East Sussex 1943
    Duncan Grant (1885–1978)
    Oil on canvas
    H 71.1 x W 50.8 cm
    Towner
    The Glade, Firle Park, East Sussex
    © Estate of Duncan Grant. All rights reserved, DACS 2023. Image credit: Towner

  • Hugh Griffiths (1916–2005)

    Flowering Thorn
    Hugh Griffiths (1916–2005)
    Oil on canvas
    H 75 x W 62.5 cm
    Towner
    Flowering Thorn
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: Towner

  • Kenneth Hall (1913–1946)

    Cap d'Ail, France
    Kenneth Hall (1913–1946)
    Oil on canvas
    H 61 x W 74.5 cm
    Towner
    Cap d'Ail, France
    Image credit: Towner

  • Stanley William Hayter (1901–1988)

    Coast of Erehwon 1959
    Stanley William Hayter (1901–1988)
    Oil on canvas
    H 129.5 x W 132 cm
    Towner
    Coast of Erehwon
    © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2023. Image credit: Towner

  • George Henry (1858–1943)

    Landscape
    George Henry (1858–1943)
    Oil on canvas
    H 39.5 x W 49.5 cm
    Towner
    Landscape
    Image credit: Towner

  • Dorothy Hepworth (1894–1978)

    Girl in Yellow Dress
    Patricia Preece (1894–1966) or Dorothy Hepworth (1894–1978)
    Oil on canvas
    H 74 x W 59 cm
    Towner
    Girl in Yellow Dress
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: Towner

  • Ivon Hitchens (1893–1979)

    Evening Sky over Hills 1957
    Ivon Hitchens (1893–1979)
    Oil on canvas
    H 40.6 x W 109.2 cm
    Towner
    Evening Sky over Hills
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: Towner

  • Frances Hodgkins (1869–1947)

    Flatford Mill, Suffolk
    Frances Hodgkins (1869–1947)
    Oil on canvas
    H 58.5 x W 72 cm
    Towner
    Flatford Mill, Suffolk
    Image credit: Towner

  • Eric Hesketh Hubbard (1892–1957)

    Rye, East Sussex
    Eric Hesketh Hubbard (1892–1957)
    Oil on canvas
    H 58 x W 55 cm
    Towner
    Rye, East Sussex
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: Towner

  • David Jones (1895–1974)

    Sea View 1930
    David Jones (1895–1974)
    Oil on board
    H 48 x W 58 cm
    Towner
    Sea View
    © trustees of the David Jones estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Towner

  • Stanislawa de Karlowska (1876–1952)

    Barrage Balloons
    Stanislawa de Karlowska (1876–1952)
    Oil on canvas
    H 60 x W 50.5 cm
    Towner
    Barrage Balloons
    Image credit: Towner

  • Charles Knight (1901–1990)

    Ditchling Beacon, East Sussex 1930s
    Charles Knight (1901–1990)
    Oil on canvas
    H 71 x W 91.5 cm
    Towner
    Ditchling Beacon, East Sussex
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: Towner

  • Edward Louis Lawrenson (1868–1940)

    The Last Sussex Team c.1925
    Edward Louis Lawrenson (1868–1940)
    Oil on canvas
    H 63.5 x W 76.2 cm
    Towner
    The Last Sussex Team
    Image credit: Towner

  • Thérèse Lessore (1884–1945)

    Walcot Church, Bath, Somerset
    Thérèse Lessore (1884–1945)
    Oil on canvas
    H 76.2 x W 50.8 cm
    Towner
    Walcot Church, Bath, Somerset
    Image credit: Towner

  • Gomer Lewis (1921–1994)

    Forest 1967
    Gomer Lewis (1921–1994)
    Oil on hardboard
    H 117 x W 147.5 cm
    Towner
    Forest
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: Towner

  • Christopher Le Brun (b.1951)

    Painting, February 1982 1982
    Christopher Le Brun (b.1951)
    Oil on canvas
    H 45 x W 55.5 cm
    Towner
    Painting, February 1982
    © Christopher Le Brun. All rights reserved, DACS 2023. Image credit: Towner

  • Robert MacBryde (1913–1966)

    A Vegetable Still Life
    Robert MacBryde (1913–1966)
    Oil on canvas
    H 76.2 x W 63.5 cm
    Towner
    A Vegetable Still Life
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: Towner

  • James Bolivar Manson (1879–1945)

    Edith Matthews, née Meredith
    James Bolivar Manson (1879–1945)
    Oil on canvas
    H 185.5 x W 89 cm
    Towner
    Edith Matthews, née Meredith
    Image credit: Towner

  • Robert Medley (1905–1994)

    Figures in Movement 1962
    Robert Medley (1905–1994)
    Oil on canvas
    H 124.5 x W 122 cm
    Towner
    Figures in Movement
    © the estate of Robert Medley, courtesy of James Hyman Gallery, London. Image credit: Towner

  • Bernard Meninsky (1891–1950)

    Landscape
    Bernard Meninsky (1891–1950)
    Oil on canvas
    H 62.5 x W 75.5 cm
    Towner
    Landscape
    Image credit: Towner

  • John Minton (1917–1957)

    Spanish Village c.1950
    John Minton (1917–1957)
    Oil on hardboard
    H 66 x W 43.1 cm
    Towner
    Spanish Village
    © Royal College of Art / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Towner

  • Harold Mockford (1932–2023)

    Eastbourne, East Sussex 1958
    Harold Mockford (1932–2023)
    Oil on hardboard
    H 86.3 x W 116.8 cm
    Towner
    Eastbourne, East Sussex
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: Towner

  • Cedric Morris (1889–1982)

    Herstmonceux Church, Hailsham, East Sussex 1928
    Cedric Lockwood Morris (1889–1982)
    Oil on canvas
    H 68.5 x W 81.2 cm
    Towner
    Herstmonceux Church, Hailsham, East Sussex
    © trustees of the Cedric Lockwood Morris Estate/Foundation / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Towner

  • Henry Mundy (1919–2019)

    Enclosed 1960
    Henry Mundy (1919–2019)
    Oil on hardboard
    H 150 x W 157.5 cm
    Towner
    Enclosed
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: Towner

  • David Murray (1849–1933)

    Music by the Lake exhibited 1911
    David Murray (1849–1933)
    Oil on canvas
    H 76.2 x W 91.4 cm
    Towner
    Music by the Lake
    Image credit: Towner

  • David Nash (b.1945)

    Eighteen Thousand Tides 1996
    David Nash (b.1945)
    Oak
    H 500 x W 500 x D 500 cm
    Towner
    Eighteen Thousand Tides
    © David Nash. All rights reserved, DACS 2023. Image credit: Lawrence Suss / Art UK

  • John Nash (1893–1977)

    Disused Canal, Wormingford, Essex
    John Northcote Nash (1893–1977)
    Oil on canvas
    H 58.7 x W 73 cm
    Towner
    Disused Canal, Wormingford, Essex
    © the artist's estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Towner

  • William Nicholson (1872–1949)

    Judd's Farm 1912
    William Nicholson (1872–1949)
    Oil on panel
    H 33 x W 41 cm
    Towner
    Judd's Farm
    Image credit: Towner

  • John Scorror O'Connor (1913–2004)

    Dawn near East Coast
    John Scorror O'Connor (1913–2004)
    Oil on canvas
    H 59.3 x W 74.5 cm
    Towner
    Dawn near East Coast
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: Towner

  • Eduardo Paolozzi (1924–2005)

    Nairn Elephant 1972
    Eduardo Luigi Paolozzi (1924–2005)
    Plastic
    H 29.5 x W 38 x D 15 cm
    Towner
    Nairn Elephant
    © trustees of the Paolozzi Foundation, licensed by DACS 2024. Image credit: Towner

  • Charles Pears (1873–1958)

    Beachy Head, East Sussex, Moonlight
    Charles Pears (1873–1958)
    Oil on canvas
    H 33.5 x W 54.5 cm
    Towner
    Beachy Head, East Sussex, Moonlight
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: Towner

  • Eric Ravilious (1903–1942)

    Beachy Head 1939
    Eric Ravilious (1903–1942)
    Watercolour & pencil on paper
    H 43 x W 57.8 cm
    Towner
    Beachy Head
    Image credit: Towner

  • William Scott (1913–1989)

    Blue on Blue 1967
    William Scott (1913–1989)
    Oil on canvas
    H 61 x W 61 cm
    Towner
    Blue on Blue
    © estate of William Scott 2024. Image credit: Towner

  • Matthew Arnold Bracy Smith (1879–1959)

    Seated Female Nude
    Matthew Arnold Bracy Smith (1879–1959)
    Oil on canvas
    H 73.6 x W 60.9 cm
    Towner
    Seated Female Nude
    © by permission of the copyright holder. Image credit: Towner

  • Ruskin Spear (1911–1990)

    Spring in Hammersmith
    Ruskin Spear (1911–1990)
    Oil on canvas
    H 52.5 x W 38.5 cm
    Towner
    Spring in Hammersmith
    © the artist's estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Bridgeman Images

  • Donald Chisholm Towner (1903–1985)

    The Pool of London 1935
    Donald Chisholm Towner (1903–1985)
    Oil on canvas
    H 76.2 x W 63.5 cm
    Towner
    The Pool of London
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: Towner

  • William Townsend (1909–1973)

    Sundance Canyon
    William Townsend (1909–1973)
    Oil on canvas
    H 76.2 x W 101.6 cm
    Towner
    Sundance Canyon
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: Towner

  • Julian Trevelyan (1910–1988)

    Durance Valley, France 1961
    Julian Trevelyan (1910–1988)
    Oil on canvas
    H 75 x W 60.5 cm
    Towner
    Durance Valley, France
    © the artist's estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Towner

  • William Tucker (b.1935)

    Four Four-Part Sculptures 1967
    William Tucker (b.1935)
    Steel
    H 13.5 x W 13.5 x D 3 cm
    Towner
    Four Four-Part Sculptures
    © the artist. Image credit: Towner

  • William Turnbull (1922–2012)

    Arrowhead Torso 1979
    William Turnbull (1922–2012)
    Bronze
    H 26.6 x W 18.5 x D 8 cm
    Towner
    Arrowhead Torso
    © the estate of William Turnbull. All rights reserved, DACS 2024. Image credit: Towner

  • Edward Alexander Wadsworth (1889–1949)

    Bronze Ballet 1940
    Edward Alexander Wadsworth (1889–1949)
    Tempera on canvas mounted on wood
    H 62 x W 87.5 cm
    Towner
    Bronze Ballet
    Image credit: Towner

  • Alfred Wallis (1855–1942)

    Sailing Ship
    Alfred Wallis (1855–1942)
    Oil on cardboard (back of a calendar)
    H 22.5 x W 32 cm
    Towner
    Sailing Ship
    Image credit: Towner

  • Kathleen Walne (1915–2011)

    Girl in Caravan 1935
    Kathleen Walne (1915–2011)
    Watercolour on paper
    H 56 x W 38 cm
    Towner
    Girl in Caravan
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: Towner

  • Carel Weight (1908–1997)

    The Old Woman in the Garden No. 2 1970
    Carel Victor Morlais Weight (1908–1997)
    Oil on board
    H 120.5 x W 90 cm
    Towner
    The Old Woman in the Garden No. 2
    © the artist's estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Towner

  • Charles Wheeler (1892–1974)

    Windswept Snow on a Frozen Pond 1969
    Charles Thomas Wheeler (1892–1974)
    Oil on board
    H 51 x W 61 cm
    Towner
    Windswept Snow on a Frozen Pond
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: Towner

  • Ethelbert White (1891–1972)

    Sussex Landscape
    Ethelbert White (1891–1972)
    Oil on canvas
    H 60.9 x W 76.2 cm
    Towner
    Sussex Landscape
    © the Ethelbert White estate. Image credit: Towner

  • Christopher Wood (1901–1930)

    Conversation Piece
    Christopher Wood (1901–1930)
    Oil on canvas
    H 95.5 x W 145 cm
    Towner
    Conversation Piece
    Image credit: Towner

  • Bryan Wynter (1915–1975)

    Red Spoor 1960
    Bryan Wynter (1915–1975)
    Oil on canvas
    H 183 x W 142 cm
    Towner
    Red Spoor
    © estate of Bryan Wynter. All rights reserved, DACS 2023. Image credit: Towner

Explore artists in this Curation

View all 71
  • Moonrise on the Rape of Hastings, East Sussex
    Edward Louis Lawrenson (1868–1940)
  • Eastbourne, East Sussex
    Harold Mockford (1932–2023)
  • Pas de deux
    Thérèse Lessore (1884–1945)
  • Three Graces
    Harry Phelan Gibb (1870–1948)
  • Rye Harbour, East Sussex
    George Gilbert Bonner (1924–1997)
  • A Corner of the Dockyard, Rosyth: Winter
    Charles Pears (1873–1958)
  • John Banting
    Bernard Meninsky (1891–1950)
  • The Printer
    Laura Sylvia Gosse (1881–1968)
  • The Dead Mole
    Frederick Etchells (1886–1973)
  • Swiss Cottage
    Stanislawa de Karlowska (1876–1952)
  • View all 71
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