WHAT?  Evelyn De Morgan: The Modern Painter in Victorian London 

WHERE?  Guildhall Art Gallery, Guildhall Yard, London EC2V 5AE

WHEN? Now until 4th January 2026. Free to view 

WHY GO? To revere a Victorian feminist. Evelyn De Morgan (née Pickering) was hailed as ‘modern’ in Victorian England since she defied convention of the day and at the age of 17, declared she would focus on art because life is short but art is eternal.

Avant-garde for an upper class woman who was born into wealth, and rejecting her family’s expectations, she did focus on art and was one of the first women to attend the Slade School of Art where her precocious talent was encouraged.  

She painted her version of Ariadne at Naxos (1877) at the tender age of 20 and it hangs proudly alongside a stunning celebration of her work in the glorious Guildhall gallery. 

De Morgan delved deep into the classics and portrayed mythical women such as Helen of Troy and Cassandra as powerful pioneering figures, constantly representing spiritual themes of love, peace and sisterhood.

The curation pays tribute to her husband William De Morgan, the Arts and Crafts ceramic designer, 16 years her senior, and as a team they embraced the whole Pre-Raphaelite movement where she was admired by the likes of William Holman Hunt and Oscar Wilde. 

De Morgan followed through on her dream and worked every day of her life experimenting with new techniques creating a series of ‘gold’ drawings on dark paper that are highly acclaimed for their technical prowess and meticulous designs.  Quite a woman, well deserving of her 'Modern' tag.

IN THE KNOW Free 30 minute guided tours are available daily for an overview of the Guildhall Gallery’s permanent collections which represent a vivid cultural and social history of London. This now includes a Turner painting, View at Hythe, Kent (1824) which has recently been restored to mark his 250th Anniversary and was under wraps for twenty years.