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Monet and more - Marks & Spencer loans on display

Bringing Monet and more to the people of Leeds. A major art loan from Marks & Spencer is on public display in The Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery.

Marks and Spencer, the well-known retailer that was founded in the city’s Kirkgate Market in 1884, has made a loan of five major artworks for the benefit of the people of its home city, Leeds. The five artworks now on public display are by world famous artists Claude Monet, LS Lowry, JMW Turner, Maurice de Vlaminck and Edward Seago.

These prestigious artworks, some of which have never been on public display, are now exhibited in The Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery. The five artworks are on display alongside the University of Leeds’s own exemplary Art Collection.

University of Leeds Art Curator Layla Bloom said:

”We are delighted that Marks and Spencer has shared these formidable treasures with us at the University of Leeds. This loan helps us to expand the story of 20th century British Art display through our collection at The Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery, whilst also making links to the fascinating history of Marks & Spencer, a British institution born here in Leeds. Each work contributes to our Gallery displays in a different way, and will provide new opportunities for our audience – especially for young people – to engage with and enjoy art on campus.”

Marks & Spencer has a strong link with Leeds, with founder Michael Marks setting up his first penny bazaar in Leeds in 1884, before joining forces with Tom Spencer in 1894. The relationship has continued with the M&S Company Archive establishing their home on the University of Leeds campus in 2012. The award-winning M&S Company Archive enables Marks & Spencer to celebrate and utilise its rich heritage for the good of the business, its customers and the wider community.

Image: Monet and Seago on display in The Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery.

Monet and Seago on display in The Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery.
Monet and Seago on display in The Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery.
Monet and Seago on display in The Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery.