Art in Essex

Arts Calendar lists 21 exhibitions, 5 workshops and classes and 2 drawing groups at 17 venues in Essex. Colchester has the most, with 15. Saturday is the busiest night, with 4 of the regular listings.

Friday 16 October to Wednesday 13 January

A quiet few weeks here, so this runs on to Wednesday 13 January.

Exhibitions on now

Closes Sat 17 Oct
Exhibition

Rising Rooted

Courtyard Arts Hertford, Hertford, Hertfordshire
- Group show
- Painting
Closes Sun 18 Oct
Exhibition

My Generation

Chappel Galleries, Colchester, Essex
Closes Sun 18 Oct
Exhibition

Conceal & Reveal

Benham Gallery, Cuckoo Farm Studios, Colchester, Essex
- Group show
Closes Sat 24 Oct
Exhibition

Michael Evans: A Life in Art

Courtyard Arts Hertford, Hertford, Hertfordshire
Closes Sun 25 Oct
Exhibition

The Art and Life of Henry Moore

Henry Moore Studios & Gardens, Much Hadham, Hertfordshire
Closes Sun 25 Oct
Exhibition

Henry Moore: The Shelter Drawings 1940 to 1941

Henry Moore Studios & Gardens, Much Hadham, Hertfordshire
- Solo show
- Drawing
Closes Sun 25 Oct
Exhibition

65 Years of the Munnings Art Museum

Munnings Art Museum, Colchester, Essex
- Solo show
- Painting
Closes Sun 25 Oct
Exhibition

Pictures from Private Collections

Munnings Art Museum, Colchester, Essex
- Solo show
- Painting
Closes Sun 25 Oct
Exhibition

The Influence of John Constable

Munnings Art Museum, Colchester, Essex
Closes Sun 25 Oct
Exhibition

Olga Lehmann: A Versatile and Vivacious Artist

Fry Art Gallery, Saffron Walden, Essex
Closes Sun 25 Oct
Exhibition

Fry’s Popular Delights

Fry Art Gallery, Saffron Walden, Essex
Closes Sat 31 Oct
Exhibition

Museum of the Moon

Colchester Castle, Colchester, Essex
Closes Sun 1 Nov
Exhibition

Double Agents

Parndon Mill Gallery, Harlow, Essex
- Group show
Closes Sun 1 Nov
Exhibition

Open Call Autumn Exhibition 2026

The Sentinel Gallery, Wivenhoe, Essex
- Open exhibition
- Painting
Closes Sat 7 Nov
Exhibition

Esmond Bingham: Constructions

North House Gallery, Manningtree, Essex
Closes Sun 8 Nov
Exhibition

Duncan Grant: Worlds Through Desire: From Drawing to Cruising to DMs

Firstsite, Colchester, Essex
Closes Mon 23 Nov
Exhibition

Chelmsford College: What Matters Most

Museum of Chelmsford, Chelmsford, Essex
Closes Sun 29 Nov
Exhibition

Between Us

Beecroft Art Gallery, Southend-on-Sea, Essex
Closes Sat 12 Dec
Exhibition

Off The Wall

Gibberd Gallery, Harlow, Essex
Closes Sun 20 Dec
Exhibition

62nd Essex Open Art Exhibition

Beecroft Art Gallery, Southend-on-Sea, Essex
Closes Sat 9 Jan
Exhibition

Compulsory Continuous Connectedness: rest in a networked world

Focal Point Gallery, Southend-on-Sea, Essex
Until 17 Jan 2027
Exhibition

Simon Carter: From the Landscape

Firstsite, Colchester, Essex
- Solo show
- Painting
Until 28 Feb 2027
Exhibition

Polly Braden: Against the Tide

Firstsite, Colchester, Essex
- Solo show
- Photography
Until 28 Feb 2027
Exhibition

Out of Line: Banksy and the Art of Dissent

The Minories, Colchester, Essex

Exhibitions opening soon

Opens Tue 20 Oct
Exhibition

My. Three. Words.: Voyages of the Imagination

Courtyard Arts Hertford, Hertford, Hertfordshire
- Group show
- Textiles
Opens Sat 24 Oct
Exhibition

Constable to Contemporary

Christchurch Mansion, Ipswich, Suffolk
Opens Sun 8 Nov
Exhibition

Glenn Brown: Anatomy of Trees

Gainsborough’s House, Sudbury, Suffolk
Opens Sun 8 Nov
Exhibition

Georg Wilson: The Ancient Pulse of Germ and Birth

Gainsborough’s House, Sudbury, Suffolk
- Solo show
- Painting
Opens Sun 8 Nov
Exhibition

Monica Poole: Nature’s Dark Beauty

Gainsborough’s House, Sudbury, Suffolk
- Solo show
- Printmaking
Opens Tue 17 Nov
Exhibition

Courtyard Arts Members’ Show 2026

Courtyard Arts Hertford, Hertford, Hertfordshire
Opens Sat 21 Nov
Exhibition

Oasis: Photographs by Jill Furmanovsky

The Gallery Maldon, Maldon, Essex
- Solo show
- Photography

Wednesday 21 October

Happy birthday to Martin Creed (58 today)

Born on this day: Domenichino (1581)

Wed 21 Oct 19:30 21:30
Drawing Group

Chelmsford Life Drawing

Trinity Methodist Church, Chelmsford, Essex
- Life drawing

Sunday 1 November

Born on this day: Antonio Canova (1757), Hannah Höch (1889), L. S. Lowry (1887) and Pietro da Cortona (1596)

Sun 1 Nov 10:30 12:30
Workshop

Watercolour Workshop: Imaginary Landscapes

Firstsite, Colchester, Essex
- Painting

Wednesday 4 November

Born on this day: Guido Reni (1575) and Robert Mapplethorpe (1946)

Wed 4 Nov 19:30 21:30
Drawing Group

Chelmsford Life Drawing

Trinity Methodist Church, Chelmsford, Essex
- Life drawing

Tuesday 10 November

Born on this day: Emmy Bridgwater (1906), Jacob Epstein (1880) and William Hogarth (1697)

Tue 10 Nov 10:00 15:00
Workshop

Exploring Sudbury Silk: Textile Workshop

Mill Tye Gallery and Arts Centre, Sudbury, Suffolk
- Textiles

Wednesday 11 November

Happy birthday to Celia Paul (67 today)

Born on this day: Édouard Vuillard (1868), Ida Applebroog (1929), Paul Signac (1863) and Prunella Clough (1919)

Wed 11 Nov 10:00 16:00
Workshop

Introduction to Mono Screenprinting

Gainsborough’s House, Sudbury, Suffolk
- Printmaking
Wed 11 Nov 18:00 20:00
Drawing Group

Essex Print Studio Life Drawing

Essex Print Studio, Chelmsford, Essex
- Life drawing

Monday 16 November

Born on this day: William De Morgan (1839)

Mon 16 Nov 10:00 16:00
Workshop

Introduction to Soft Ground Etching and Chine Collé

Gainsborough’s House, Sudbury, Suffolk
- Printmaking

Wednesday 18 November

Born on this day: Ana Mendieta (1948), Bruce Conner (1933), David Wilkie (1785), Frank Dobson (1886), Louis Daguerre (1787), Norman Cornish (1919), Stanhope Forbes (1857) and Wyndham Lewis (1882)

Wed 18 Nov 19:30 21:30
Drawing Group

Chelmsford Life Drawing

Trinity Methodist Church, Chelmsford, Essex
- Life drawing

Thursday 19 November

Born on this day: Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770)

Thu 19 Nov 10:00 16:00
Workshop

Introduction to Exposing a Silk Screen

Gainsborough’s House, Sudbury, Suffolk
- Printmaking

Wednesday 2 December

Born on this day: Georges Seurat (1859) and Otto Dix (1891)

Wed 2 Dec 19:30 21:30
Drawing Group

Chelmsford Life Drawing

Trinity Methodist Church, Chelmsford, Essex
- Life drawing

Wednesday 9 December

Born on this day: Mark Gertler (1891)

Wed 9 Dec 18:00 20:00
Drawing Group

Essex Print Studio Life Drawing

Essex Print Studio, Chelmsford, Essex
- Life drawing

Thursday 10 December

Happy birthday to Barbara Rae (83 today), Gillian Wearing (63 today) and Runa Islam (56 today)

Born on this day: John Clerk of Eldin (1728) and Leon Kossoff (1926)

Thu 10 Dec 10:00 14:00
Workshop

Under Suffolk Skies: Painting in Oils

Mill Tye Gallery and Arts Centre, Sudbury, Suffolk
- Painting

Wednesday 16 December

Happy birthday to Ed Ruscha (89 today)

Born on this day: Remedios Varo (1908) and Wassily Kandinsky (1866)

Wed 16 Dec 19:30 21:30
Drawing Group

Chelmsford Life Drawing

Trinity Methodist Church, Chelmsford, Essex
- Life drawing

Wednesday 30 December

Wed 30 Dec 19:30 21:30
Drawing Group

Chelmsford Life Drawing

Trinity Methodist Church, Chelmsford, Essex
- Life drawing

Wednesday 13 January

Born on this day: Chaim Soutine (1893)

Wed 13 Jan 18:00 20:00
Drawing Group

Essex Print Studio Life Drawing

Essex Print Studio, Chelmsford, Essex
- Life drawing
Wed 13 Jan 19:30 21:30
Drawing Group

Chelmsford Life Drawing

Trinity Methodist Church, Chelmsford, Essex
- Life drawing

Everything listed in Essex

Exhibitions 21

Chelmsford College: What Matters Most Chelmsford
65 Years of the Munnings Art Museum Colchester
Conceal & Reveal Colchester
Duncan Grant: Worlds Through Desire: From Drawing to Cruising to DMs Colchester
Museum of the Moon Colchester
My Generation Colchester
Out of Line: Banksy and the Art of Dissent Colchester
Pictures from Private Collections Colchester
Polly Braden: Against the Tide Colchester
Simon Carter: From the Landscape Colchester
The Influence of John Constable Colchester
Double Agents Harlow
Off The Wall Harlow
Oasis: Photographs by Jill Furmanovsky Maldon
Esmond Bingham: Constructions Manningtree
Fry’s Popular Delights Saffron Walden
Olga Lehmann: A Versatile and Vivacious Artist Saffron Walden
62nd Essex Open Art Exhibition Southend-on-Sea
Between Us Southend-on-Sea
Compulsory Continuous Connectedness: rest in a networked world Southend-on-Sea
Open Call Autumn Exhibition 2026 Wivenhoe

Workshops and classes 5

Dreamlike Florals: Still Life Painting Inspired by Odilon Redon Colchester · Saturday 23 January
Monoprint Day: Texture, Gesture and Etching Press Colchester · Saturday 13 March
Paint a Monochrome Still Life Inspired by Vanessa Bell Colchester · Saturday 20 February
Sweet Impressions: Colourful Still Life Inspired by Impressionism Colchester · Saturday 27 March
Watercolour Workshop: Imaginary Landscapes Colchester · Sunday 1 November

Drawing groups 2

Chelmsford Life Drawing Chelmsford · Every other Wednesday
Essex Print Studio Life Drawing Chelmsford · Second Wednesday of the month

Towns in Essex

Colchester (15)
Chelmsford (3)
Southend-on-Sea (3)
Harlow (2)
Saffron Walden (2)
Maldon (1)
Manningtree (1)
Wivenhoe (1)

Something in Essex we are missing?

If you run a gallery, an exhibition or a drawing group that is not here, add it. It takes a couple of minutes, and you can keep it right afterwards.

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