Major art exhibition celebrates 150 years of historic artist

To mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of a renowned artist a museum is set to host a “major” exhibition of his work.

The Penlee House Gallery & Museum in Penzance will showcase a variety of pieces from Newlyn School artist Harold Harvey until Sunday, September 29.

The artist, who was born in 1874, was well-known for his significant contributions to the Newlyn artist’s colony, which was active between 1880 and 1940.

The end of July saw the arrival of members of the Bodinnar family at Penlee House, which Harvey married into.

Harvey, Harold – Mousehole Harbour, 1922 – Private Collection (Image: Penlee Gallery)

The attendees visited for a special tour of the exhibition.

Harvey was a part of a large family, being the eldest of eight children, and his wife, Gertrude (née Bodinnar), was also from a considerable family of 10 children.

Although they had no children themselves, their numerous great-nephews and great-nieces spread across the globe, many of whom are still based in Cornwall.

Kim Conchie, a great-nephew of Gertrude’s, said: “As descendants of the Bodinnar side, we have been brought up knowing about Harold Harvey, the Cornish painter and loving his paintings like The Blue Door.

“But never have we seen such an exceptional collection and so many to admire from his different genres, all with a deep passion for Cornwall from fishing to farming, mining to lounging on the beach.

“The Penlee exhibition really is a delight.”

A native to Penzance, Harvey held the title of ‘son of Cornwall’.

After studying under Norman Garstin and spending some time in Paris, he settled into a quiet life in Newlyn with Gertrude, painting the Cornwall he intimately knew.

His early genre paintings of rustic and marine life evolved to a more sophisticated subject matter, yielding a flatter and more decorative style.

His work was compared to that of Stanhope Forbes, while his later paintings show similarities with painters Laura Knight and Dod and Ernest Procter.

The exhibition, which features more than 60 examples of his work from all stages of his career, hopes to highlight Harvey’s talents to a new audience.