Colour

Explore a world of wonder...

We live in a dazzling kaleidoscope of shades and hues. Colour is a constant source of wonder – it is key to helping us make sense of the world, used to communicate by wildlife, plants and people alike.

It can reflect and affect our emotions and form great works of art. It has the power to symbolise who we are and what we believe, and is at the heart of some of our most enduring traditions.

This new exhibition brings together over 150 objects spanning art, science, nature and cultural histories, alongside a range of interactive activities. Explore a spectacular world of colour – how we see it, how it’s made, how it’s used and what it means.

Discover artwork by Hokusai, Kandinsky, Bridget Riley, Andy Warhol and more, alongside examples of exquisitely crafted decorative ceramics. See beautiful bird plumage and iridescent insects which show how colour is used in the natural world and textiles demonstrating the rich spectrum of natural and manmade pigments and dyes.

Outfits including a diamante-studded Trinidadian carnival costume and Victorian mourning dress illustrate how colour can imbue clothing with cultural significance, while examples of pre-historic gold jewellery show the value of colour across millennia.

The exhibition also features a striking Rangoli sand art installation and a new large-scale mural by artist Grace Visions, created as part of Sheffield’s Lick of Paint street art festival. 

Suggested donation £5 – please donate if you're able and help keep your museums open and available for everyone to enjoy.

A MAGNET partnership exhibition, with Art Fund support and supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.  

Images L–R, Edward Lear, Parrot (detail), collection of the Guild of St George; Michael Eden, Cyan Bloom, 2014 (detail). Presented to Tullie House Museum by the Contemporary Art Society, 2014, through the Omega Fund © the artist; Charlotte Catharine Murray, Study of a Foxglove (detail), collection of the Guild of St George; Peter Lely, Margaret Brooke, Lady Denham(detail), c1664.