This unique exhibition tells the fascinating story of a nine-metre mural depicting the Durham Miners’ Gala - painted by Cornish in 1963. Featuring a range of correspondence, preparatory paintings, drawings and sketches - previously unseen by the public - this exhibition plots the artist’s journey from commission of the painting by Durham County Council to its completion. The mural remains on display at Durham’s County Hall building.

For Norman Cornish, sketching was second nature; an inherent part of his everyday life. This exhibition of little seen sketchbooks will present a new dimension to the artist’s practice, focusing on his observations of life, landscapes and family, revealing the inner artistic processes behind some of his most iconic works.

Co-curated by residents of Norman’s hometown, this unique exhibition gives a special insight into how his work is viewed today. People from Spennymoor and Norman’s son and daughter have selected their favourite paintings, offering a warm and refreshing perspective on one of the most enduringly popular mining artists.

The exhibition chronicles the journey of Norman Cornish and the great determination and resilience he showed to become a professional artist. Featuring personal quotes from Cornish and an interesting narrative, the exhibition highlights key moments of his career and showcases work that was produced when materials or conditions were not optimal.

Portraiture was an important part of Norman Cornish’s artistic practice. This exhibition features self-portraits from throughout his career showing his stylistic development as well as insights into the man himself alongside informal images of his family and more formally commissioned portraits and sketches of local characters.

Celebrating the centenary of acclaimed artist Norman Cornish MBE, this major retrospective tells the story of his enduring career with the most comprehensive collection of his work ever assembled, including a number of previously unseen pieces.