Rarely seen artworks from Truro School’s art collection will feature in Royal Cornwall Museum’s latest exhibition, which is set to open on Tuedsay.   

The show will feature iconic artworks from historic art schools including St Ives, West Penwith, Newlyn and Falmouth, expressed through diverse subjects and media. 

As an independent school, Truro School was unable to borrow works from Cornwall Council Schools Art Collection. In response, former head of art David Heseltine began building the collection in the early 1980s in order that generations of students might learn from looking at the real thing.  

The existing collection is rarely seen outside of the school, and this is only the second time in 40 years it has featured in an exhibition at the Royal Cornwall Museum.  

Today, it encompasses nearly 300 artworks representing a veritable A-Z of late 20th and early 21st-century artists, the majority of whom lived and worked in Cornwall and many of whom exercised substantial international influence.    

The exhibition features a diversity of works from artists including Jeremy Le Grice, Peter Lanyon, Patrick Heron, Terry Frost, Kate Nicholson and Margot Maeckelburghe.

Art teacher Annie-May Roberts said: “The Truro School Art Collection is a true asset to the institution, and it continues to be a brilliant educational resource for students, as well as a source of intrigue and inspiration for artists and enthusiasts across the Cornish and wider community.” 

Bryony Robins, artistic director of the Royal Cornwall Museum, says: “Whether or not we’re students, there’s always something to learn from art, and with pieces from across Cornwall on display, we look forward to seeing people engage with iconic and lesser-known artists.”  

The exhibition continues until May 18. Learn more at www.royalcornwallmuseum.org.uk