Landscape Open 2026

The Salisbury Museum is showing the Landscape Open 2026 exhibition from 17 October 2026 to 31 January 2027, in the Major Exhibition Galleries. It's the result of an open art competition the museum runs to celebrate how artists work with the landscape, drawing on the monuments and scenery around the city that have inspired generations of painters. Salisbury has long pulled in the big names — John Constable, JMW Turner, Paul Nash, John Piper and Eric Ravilious all worked here — and with Stonehenge, Cranborne Chase and the New Forest all within reach, it's easy to see why.

This second edition was a record-breaker: more than 2,400 submissions arrived from over 1,200 artists across 43 countries, and 83 works were chosen to hang. Director Adrian Green said the response far exceeded expectations and that the competition has become established as a significant platform for contemporary landscape art. The selection panel included Green himself, Nina Murdoch, Emma Stibbon, Dr Anjana Khatwa and Dr David Boyd Haycock.

There were prizes to be won, too. Ambrosine Allen took the top spot, winning £1,000 and a solo exhibition at the museum in 2027. Núria Riera won a fully-funded three-week residency at the NG Art Creative Residency in Provence, and student Mentoring Prizes from Parker Harris went to Noah Burrows and Gayle Hallowell.

The exhibition is included in museum admission, so you don't need a separate ticket. Standard adult entry is £10.90, or £12.00 with Gift Aid; children aged 5 to 15 are £5.40, and under-fives go free. Wheelchair access is to the ground floor only. The museum is open seven days a week from 10am to 5pm, with the café running 10am to 4pm, though it's closed from Thursday 24 to Monday 28 December 2026.