“We don’t have a collection, just an art gallery”: An enquiry into the origins, rationale and role of the Hatton Gallery Collection formed by Professor Lawrence Gowing for King’s College, University of Durham, from 1952 to 1957

Abstract

This thesis examines the formation of a collection of old master and contemporary art works by Professor Lawrence Gowing for the Hatton Gallery in the Fine Art Department of King’s College, Durham University, between 1952 and 1957. This collection was the foundation of what is now understood as the “teaching collection”. Through the exploration of archives, texts and narratives, this study considers the origins of the collection’s formation and the rationale for its content. It also addresses the question of its role within the pedagogy of the Department, in which Richard Hamilton and Victor Pasmore were concurrently developing an experimental basic course and installing unorthodox exhibitions in the Hatton Gallery. This thesis argues that two significant factors converged to bring about the formation of the art collection. The first was the sequence of events that established the Fine Art Department within a university institution and brought Gowing to Newcastle; the second was Gowing’s ambition as an educator. This research particularly draws on Gowing’s writings to argue that this was predicated on his own desire to understand the motivations of the artist and to share his own experience of making and looking at art with others. Rather than a narrative based on radical pedagogy, this thesis therefore refocuses the attention onto Gowing’s pedagogic activities within the Fine Art Department, which have been overlooked in contrast to those of other staff, particularly Hamilton and Pasmore. It thereby offers a fresh perspective on the development of progressive pedagogical ideas at King’s College and the influence of this institution on art education. In so doing, this thesis makes a valuable contribution to the field of art history and creative arts pedagogy and concludes with propositions for the use and purpose of the Hatton Gallery Collection in the twenty-first century