This winter, Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum are proud to be hosting a major exhibition of the work of Laura Knight – one of the foremost women painters of the 20th century. The exhibition which opens on 17th November brings a stirring selection of her exceptional landscapes back to Worcestershire, where Knight lived and painted for many of her later years.

Dame Laura Knight (1877 – 1970) was a great celebrity in her time and her work is loved as much today as it was at the height of her fame. From her earliest days she wanted to paint in the open air, and this work began at Staithes, on the Yorkshire coast, and developed at Laren in Holland. It came to the fore when she arrived in Cornwall and embraced the county’s wonderful light, its seas and rocky coast. From 1933 Laura Knight and her husband, Harold were frequent visitors to the Mount Pleasant Hotel in Malvern and fell in love with the dramatic landscape of the Malvern Hills. The broad expanse of farmland below the hills also became a subject of her paintings.

This exhibition includes outdoor paintings executed throughout her long and distinguished career, including depictions of Romany life, the spectacular panoramas below the Malvern Hills and the devastated townscape that forms the backdrop of her famous depiction of the Nuremberg war trials. The exhibition is also accompanied by the 'Yellow Dress' Project where a series of events and pop-up displays will give a rare opportunity to bring the behind-the-scenes work of the art gallery & museum alive for visitors. Visitors can watch the preservation of their heritage as staff and volunteers work on some of the important collections under the public gaze.

Philippa Tinsley, Senior Curator for Museums Worcestershire said: "We are so pleased to be hosting this beautiful exhibition at the Art Gallery & Museum. Laura Knight's connections with Malvern make it the perfect exhibition for us. We hope that people from all over the county will come and see these fantastic paintings and revel in Laura Knights' view of our historic landscape."

'Laura Knight – In the Open Air' is on at Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum from 17 November 2012 – 10 February 2013. Entry is free and the Art Gallery is open Monday – Saturday, 10.30am – 4.30pm.