A piece of French Impressionism is coming to the Harris for three months.
Connecting with Preston’s link with the former Courtaulds factory in Red Scar the partnership with The Courtauld Gallery in London sees one of Eugene Boudin’s works heading northwards.
Painted in 1893 – the same year the Harris opened – the sunny view of Deauville, a fashionable seaside resort in Normandy, was chosen from a shortlist of seven.
It’s one of a number of exhibits in the Couraulds Connection exhibition.
Fine art curator at the Harris Lindsey McCormick said: “Chosen by people working at Red Scar, the Harris is delighted to bring Boudin’s painting to audiences in and around Preston. It will be displayed alongside archive photographs, objects and film to highlight the history of Courtaulds factory.
“The exhibition will also include new photography inspired by the site, and visitors will be able to listen to former employees talking about what it was like to work at the factory in the 1960s and 70s.”
Read more: Watch final Courtaulds project documentary
Events planned as part of the exhibition include a reunion event for former Courtaulds employees and their families.
The exhibition and painting are free to go and visit and opens on Saturday (10 February) running through until 20 May.
Executive member for culture and leisure at Preston City Council councillor Peter Kelly said: “The Harris has had huge success over many years in bringing outstanding art to Preston that can be seen free of charge by thousands of local people. We are excited to be working so closely with The Courtauld Gallery to make this happen and to build these Preston Courtauld Connections.”
Read more: Harris to see youngsters create light and sound projection onto the building
As part of the exhibition the Harris is asking those who enjoy writing poetry and are inspired by the Courtaulds theme to contribute poetry for the exhibition.
Do you have any memories of Courtaulds? You can leave them in the comments below