Collection Articles
Press Release - Oct 2021
New painting joins The Box’s collections thanks to generous gift
The Box is delighted to have acquired a new painting for its permanent art collection from the estate of artist Jean Jones (1927-2012).
Press Release - Apr 2021
Art collections at The Box boosted by new contemporary acquisitions
The Contemporary Art Society has donated three works of art to The Box’s permanent collections. Plymouth’s major new museum, art gallery and archive has acquired a film and a diptych by multidisciplinary artist duo, Quinlan & Hastings. It’s also acquired a stunning porcelain work by Haitian-American artist, Morel Doucet.
News - Apr 2021
Gus Honeybun - 60 and still famous
What do you think of when you think of birthdays? Party hats? Balloons? Cake? If you’re from Plymouth and in your late 30s or upwards you might think of a magic button and a hopping rabbit.
Art - Mar 2021
Behind The Scenes: The 'Plymouth Panorama'
The ‘Our Art’ gallery at The Box showcases a range of works from our fine art collections. On one wall we’ve gathered over 30 artworks that show different views of Plymouth. Here, our Art Curator, explains the display in more detail and reveals what it took to create.
Press Release - Feb 2021
Two recipients selected for The Box’s 2021 Maureen Attrill Bursary
A postgraduate and an undergraduate from the University of Plymouth have secured research bursaries established by The Box and the family of a former long-serving member of staff.
Press Release - Feb 2021
Join The Box’s fortnightly online ‘Culture Club’
Would you like to find out more about some of Plymouth’s most important collections – and get the chance to explore them in different ways? Thanks to a new fortnightly ‘Culture Club’ which will be launched by The Box on 18 March, you can do just that!
Art - Jan 2021
What's in a frame?
How many times have you looked at an exhibition without noticing the frames or how much they add to the overall display? Frames not only provide support and protection for an artwork, they also affect how we view a painting. When we were developing the ‘Our Art’ gallery at The Box we had to devise a range of framing solutions for some of our most important works of art. Here are some key examples.
Art - Jan 2021
Researching Plymouth's post-war art
In 2015, Engagement Officer Tony Davey was the recipient of the first-ever Maureen Attrill Bursary and used it to research the city’s post-war art collections. Find out more about what the bursary enabled him to do and how it helped his professional development.
News - Jan 2021
Discovering gems in the collections
After spending years transferring our film and photographic collections to The Box, we always knew there’d be some hidden gems waiting to be discovered! We recently discovered of a set of original glass plates showing Argyle legend Jack Leslie playing football in the 1920s – and now we’ve uncovered another photographic gem.
History - Jan 2021
There's a human story behind every object
The police have been an important part of our frontline workforce over the last year – not just here in the UK, but in other parts of the world too. This police truncheon and whistle were donated to our collections in early 2020 by a Mr Brookshaw. We believe they once belonged to a man called Sidney Hannam, who passed away 80 years ago, on 13 January 1941.
Natural History - Oct 2020
Displaying insects & biodiversity
We have over 100,000 insects in our collections at The Box, and we wanted to reflect this in the new natural history gallery, Mammoth.
News - May 2020
Capturing and recording these unprecedented times
We’re living through a historic time. A time which, just like the First and Second World Wars, we and the generations who follow us will remember, debate, study and commemorate.