Free exhibition at the V&A South Kensington of Samuel Palmer's visionary landscapes, marking 200 years since his Shoreham period and 100 years since the V&A first showed his watercolours.
Samuel Palmer and Modern Art is on at the V&A South Kensington from 10 October 2026 to 26 September 2027, in the Leighton, Room 102. It's a long run, so there's plenty of time to fit it in.
Samuel Palmer (1805–1881) is best known for his visionary landscapes: rural paradises of rolling hills, rich harvests and restful shepherds, all rendered in stark monochrome with strong outlines. It was a style that went largely unappreciated during his lifetime. He rejected the delicate watercolour of his contemporaries, whom he called 'housepainters and sky sloppers', and drew instead on Michelangelo, Albrecht Dürer and, above all, William Blake. He met Blake in 1824, and Blake's art and beliefs made him one of 'The Ancients'.
In 1826, Palmer left London, which he called 'the great national dustbowl', for Shoreham in Kent. There he grew his hair and beard and produced intense, symbolic studies of the landscape lit by magnified moons and stars. He left only thirteen etching plates before his death in 1881. Neglected in his own time, a 1926 V&A retrospective, driven by Herbert Palmer and Martin Hardie, rekindled interest in his work and inspired twentieth-century artists like John Piper, Eric Ravilious and Graham Sutherland.
Every week we pick 🏆 the 5 best 🏆 things to do in London and send them to your inbox. Just one weekly email, no spam.
By submitting your email, you accept our Privacy Policy
This display marks two anniversaries: 200 years since that Shoreham period and 100 years since the V&A exhibition that first introduced his watercolours to modern British art. It's free and doesn't require booking, so you can just turn up. You'll find it in the Leighton, Room 102 at the V&A South Kensington, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 2RL.
