The New Art Gallery Walsall

The New Art Gallery Walsall is one of the finest small-to-medium art museums in England, and the main reason most visitors come to the town. It houses the Garman Ryan Collection — a deeply personal assembly of art donated by Lady Kathleen Garman, widow of the sculptor Jacob Epstein. The collection is eclectic and intimate: Monet, Van Gogh, Constable, Degas, and Corot sit alongside Epstein's own sculptures, African carvings, and personal objects that belonged to the family.

The building itself, designed by Caruso St John Architects and opened in 2000, is a handsome and unusual structure in brick and wood overlooking the canal basin at Walsall Wharf. The gallery has four floors of changing and permanent displays. Entry to the Garman Ryan Collection is free.

things to do museum art
A story
The Garman Ryan Collection came about through an unlikely friendship. Lady Kathleen Garman, widow of the sculptor Jacob Epstein, met the American sculptor Sally Ryan at a party in the 1960s. They became close friends, and Ryan left her own personal collection — assembled over decades — to Garman on her death. Garman then donated the combined collection to the people of Walsall in 1973.