In his etchings, Norman Ackroyd CBE RA captured something both fleeting and eternal – the shifting, luminous dialogue between land, sea and sky. This summer, Victoria Art Gallery presents a major posthumous exhibition celebrating one of Britain’s most revered printmakers, tracing a lifetime spent in pursuit of light. Words by Dara Foley.
To say there’s a kind of stillness in a Norman Ackroyd landscape might seem oddly inappropriate, but there is certainly a sense of pause – as if the elements have been briefly pacified, allowing just enough time for the light to reveal its mystery and drama. It is this elusive quality that Norman Ackroyd: The Transience of Light, a new exhibition at Victoria Art Gallery – aims to explore.
Bringing together more than five decades of work, the exhibition is the first museum show dedicated to Ackroyd since his death in 2024.
It offers not only an overview of his extraordinary technical accomplishment, but a deeply personal portrait of an artist whose life’s work was shaped by observation, endurance and an enduring fascination with the natural world.
“The way light moved across water was the inspiration that set Norman on the path to becoming an artist, and it remained his constant subject – and his constant challenge – throughout his life.”
Nathalie Levi, Senior Curator, Victoria Art Gallery
Born to a butcher’s family in Leeds in 1938, Norman Ackroyd’s path to becoming one of Britain’s most revered printmakers was shaped early by a deep engagement with drawing coupled with vital encouragement from his mother, Clara. He studied at Leeds College of Art before moving to the Royal College of Art in London, where he was taught by Julian Trevelyan and counted fellow Yorkshireman David Hockney and designer Zandra Rhodes among his contemporaries.
Following a period in the United States, Ackroyd settled in the heart of the old leather district in Bermondsey – a four-storey, former tannery – with a studio, printing space and archives as well as his living space on the top floor. Over the decades, he built an international reputation for his etchings and aquatints, works distinguished by their technical precision and quiet emotional resonance. Elected a Royal Academician in 1988 and appointed CBE in 2007 for services to engraving and printing, he remained throughout his life committed to the pursuit that first drew him to art: the shifting, elusive qualities of light across landscape and water.
Ackroyd, widely regarded as one of Britain’s most distinguished landscape printmakers, returned again and again to the rugged coastlines and outlying islands of Britain’s west coast – to cliffs, shorelines and islands where land meets the vastness of the Atlantic. Often travelling by small boat and at the mercy of rough seas, he would reach these isolated locations, where, sketching in situ, he developed a visual language that is both restrained and yet highly expressive.
At the heart of this exhibition is light – constantly changing, unpredictable and compelling. From the subtle tonal gradations of his earlier works to the dramatic contrasts and luminous horizons of his later prints, Ackroyd’s practice reveals his lifelong pursuit of something that’s always just beyond reach.
As Nathalie Levi, Senior Curator at Victoria Art Gallery, reflects: “This exhibition honours Norman Ackroyd’s mastery of etching and his profound relationship with light. The way light moved across water was the inspiration that set Norman on the path to becoming an artist, and it remained his constant subject – and his constant challenge – throughout his life. Working alongside his family and studio has allowed us to shape an exhibition that reflects not only his artistic achievements but also the curiosity, rigour and spirit of adventure that defined him.”
That sense of precision is evident in every mark. Etching, by its nature, demands patience and exactness – a process of drawing into a surface that resists, of building an image through careful incisions and controlled exposure. In Ackroyd’s hands, however, the medium becomes something more fluid. His lines seem responsive, atmospheric, capturing the weight of sky or the pull of tide with remarkable skill.
The exhibition itself has been shaped through close collaboration with those who knew the artist best. Co-curated with Ackroyd’s studio manager and family, and enriched by material drawn from his archive, it offers rare insight into both his working process and the evolution of his vision.
Much of this work began in his Bermondsey studio – a former tannery that, over decades, became a place of quiet industry and creative focus. Filled with presses, plates and the accumulated traces of a lifetime’s practice, it was, as Nathalie Levi describes, “a world unto itself, saturated with ink and stories.” She continues: “To be invited into that environment, and to work with the people who knew Norman best, was a privilege. Their generosity and insight underpin every part of this exhibition.”
That intimacy carries through into the selection of works on display. While Ackroyd’s seascapes – with their expansive horizons and ➲ shifting weather – form a central thread, the exhibition also broadens its scope to include city views, interiors, studies of trees and sweeping skylines. Together, they reveal an artist whose attention is not only drawn to a place, but to atmosphere – to the subtle interplay of light, space and memory.
Ackroyd’s work has inspired generations, and bringing this remarkable collection to Bath is
both a privilege and a cultural
milestone for the city.”
Councillor Paul Roper
There is, too, a sense of legacy. As the first solo museum exhibition following his death, The Transience of Light marks an important cultural moment, both for the Victoria Art Gallery but also for the city.
Councillor Paul Roper, Cabinet Member for Economic & Cultural Sustainable Development, reflects on the significance of the exhibition:
“We are honoured that Norman Ackroyd’s family and studio chose Victoria Art Gallery as the partner for this first posthumous solo exhibition. Ackroyd’s work has inspired generations, and bringing this remarkable collection to Bath is both a privilege and a cultural milestone for the city. We look forward to welcoming visitors from across the country to experience the power and beauty of his art.”
Accompanying the exhibition is a newly published catalogue, produced in collaboration with Ackroyd’s studio. Featuring an introduction by Nathalie Levi and an essay by Sir Christopher Frayling, it offers further reflection on the artist’s journeys around the British coastline and the creative impulses that shaped his work. A number of limited edition prints will also be available, providing a rare opportunity to engage directly with Ackroyd’s practice beyond the gallery walls.
Despite the contemplative nature of the work, the exhibition remains accessible. A thoughtfully designed family area – shaped as a sailing boat – invites younger visitors to respond creatively to Ackroyd’s seascapes, while guided trails encourage shared exploration. It is a gentle reminder that, while the subject may be profound, the act of looking can be open to all.
Ultimately, what lingers is not simply the image, but the experience of it – the low horizon of a distant island, the shifting brightness of sky over water, the feeling of standing at the edge of something vast and uncertain. Ackroyd understood that landscape is never fixed; it is always in flux, always shaped by light.
In capturing that ever-shifting ambience, he created works that feel, paradoxically, enduring.
Norman Ackroyd: The Transience of Light exhibition runs from 22 May
to 6 September 2026 at Victoria Art Gallery, Bath.
For further details, visit: victoriagal.org.uk