Pallant House Gallery Opens

1982

Pallant House Gallery opened in 1982 in a restored Queen Anne townhouse at 9 North Pallant, in the heart of the Pallants quarter. The gallery was established to house a collection of modern British art donated to the city by Walter Hussey, Dean of Chichester from 1955 to 1977. Hussey had been a distinguished patron of the arts during his years as vicar of St Matthew's, Northampton, and as Dean of Chichester, commissioning work from Graham Sutherland, John Piper, Marc Chagall and other leading artists. His collection, given to the city on condition that a suitable gallery was created, formed the core of the new institution. The gallery grew steadily, adding works by gift and purchase. In 2006, a major extension designed by Long and Kentish in association with Colin St John Wilson (architect of the British Library) was opened, doubling the gallery's exhibition space. The new wing, a restrained modern building that sits comfortably beside the Queen Anne house, won the Gulbenkian Prize for Museum of the Year in 2007. The gallery now holds a collection of over 4,000 works of modern and contemporary British art, including pieces by Sutherland, Piper, Ivon Hitchens, Eduardo Paolozzi and many others. The temporary exhibition programme brings nationally significant shows to the city. The gallery shop and cafe are popular with visitors and residents alike. Pallant House Gallery has established Chichester as a serious destination for the visual arts.