Public View at Bluecoat

Polly Checkland Harding

Visit now

Public View

Bluecoat, City Centre
4 February-23 April 2017

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Yoko Ono. Image courtesy of Sheridon Davies.
Book now

Public View is just one of the exhibitions and events taking place as part of Bluecoat’s honourary programme (4 February – 30 November 2017) in celebration of the 300th anniversary of its building. Also the oldest in Liverpool’s city centre, the building the Bluecoat gallery lives in dates from 1717 and began life as a charity school, before becoming an arts centre in 1907 – making it the oldest of its kind in the UK. New research by Bluecoat staff indicates that the master mason and engineer behind the building were Edward Litherland and Thomas Steers, who were also responsible for Liverpool’s famous Old Dock, as well as a number of other buildings in the city. Now, the Bluecoat’s gallery will host an exhibition of 100 artists who’ve previously exhibited there, in a reflection of the organisation’s curatorial interests and distinctiveness.

Curated by Artistic Director Bryan Biggs, Public View features paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures and video from the likes of Yoko Ono, Elizabeth Magill, Yinka Shonibare, Jeremy Deller and Mark Leckey. An eclectic exhibition, it includes artists who were at early stages in their careers when first hosted by the Bluecoat, but went on to international acclaim. Public View responds to the Bluecoat’s standing as an important venue for new art, which stretches over a century from the 1911 post-Impressionists to the ongoing annual showcase of emerging artists, Bloomberg New Contemporaries. Many of the works on show will have previously been exhibited at the venue, some having been specially recreated; others will be entirely new. Publiv View looks set to be a fitting celebration of one of Liverpool’s premiere arts venues, both looking back at the Bluecoat’s past, and forward to its future.

What's on at Bluecoat

Image of a performer dressed as a creepy moon, wearing a beige suit jacket, grinning in front of a lamp
EducationCity Centre
British Science Festival

Enjoy comedy shows to art installations, dynamic performances and more at this amazing celebration of all things science.

Free entry

Where to go near Public View at Bluecoat

Probe Records record shop in Liverpool
City Centre
Shop
Probe Records

For more than 40 years, Probe Records has stocked an immense selection of music and provided a hangout for vinyl addicts and musicians alike.

Photo of the shop's front window
City Centre
Shop
Bluecoat Display Centre

The Bluecoat Display Centre in Liverpool is a contemporary craft shop – and it’s been doing its thing for over 50 years – despite funding cuts and recessions.

City Centre
Shop
Root House Plants

The ultimate destination for seasoned plant lovers and beginners alike, Root sell a wide selection of gorgeous houseplants.

food and drink
City Centre
Bar or Pub
Brass Monkey

Brass Monkey is a quirky bar with swings serving delicious drinks, tucked away down a quiet street in the centre of Liverpool.

Mamasan Liverpool
City Centre
Mamasan Liverpool

Mamasan is a new three-floor South East Asian inspired restaurant and bar based in Liverpool One. It also has exciting cook-at-home options.

City Centre
Theatre
Epstein Theatre

The Epstein Theatre in Liverpool, formerly known as the Neptune Theatre, was renamed in honour of The Beatles’ Manager Brian Epstein.

What's on: Exhibitions

Summer at Aviva Studios
Until
ActivityManchester
Summer at Aviva Studios

From global dance and live music to storytelling, skateboarding and football, get ready for a dream summer on the banks of the River Irwell.

Free entry

Culture Guides

Literature Events in the North

The autumn leaves might be falling already, but the harvest is plentiful as the live literature scene gets back into the swing of things after a summer break...

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

This season’s theatre is gloriously eclectic: from radical cabaret and reinvented classics to new musicals and boundary-pushing performance.

Cinema in the North

This month we recommend a season of Film noir, cult Australian movies and a huge celebration of DIY community cinema.

Sprints
Music in the North

10 fresh shows across Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool, threading together noise, ritual, euphoria and release in all their messy, beautiful forms.