THE STORE doors are being unlocked at Leamington Art Gallery and Museum.
The exhibition titled Unlocked! will shine a spotlight on objects and artworks rarely displayed, and others undergoing conservation work, at the Pump Rooms venue from April 27 to July 15.
There will also be a chance to find out more about what goes on behind the scenes, from how curators plan for possible disasters to how they tackle pests with a taste for the artifacts.
Among the items on display will be a Second World War Japanese sword found in an attic in Devon, a Leamington shop sign which was spotted by an eagle-eyed resident while on holiday, and an iron age shield boss thought for years to be horse’s armour – the most travelled artwork, which has exhibited at art galleries from Birmingham to San Francisco.
There will also be an opportunity to see a hidden sketch on the reverse of L.S. Lowry’s The Mission Room.
Visitors will even be able to curate their own displays and see themselves inside the artworks – using green screen technology.
Collections manager Vicki Slade will introduce the exhibition at a free to attend Friday Focus Extra talk on Friday May 4, from 1pm.
Vicki said: “We have an eclectic array of objects in our care, but like most museums, only have space to display a small percentage at any one time. The Unlocked! exhibition is a fantastic opportunity to bring out some of these rarely seen items and to highlight this wonderful resource we have in our town.”
Visit www.warwickdc.gov.uk/royalpumprooms for further details.
