This thought-provoking exhibition explores the importance of the artist as eyewitness, providing insights not only into warfare but also the impact of war on those involved and the communities affected. It includes artwork from the First and Second World War, as well as recent work by award-winning artist George Butler of the war in Ukraine.

The exhibition will cover the First and Second World Wars, the liberation of Bergen-Belsen, a concentration camp, the Nuremberg Trials, and the war in Ukraine. Evocative works by both well-known artists, such as Paul Nash, Laura Knight, Evelyn Dunbar and Graham Sutherland, will encompass themes of ‘War Preparations,’ ‘Food Production,’ ‘Under Attack,’ ‘Theatres of War: Land, Sea, Air’ and ‘The Costs of War.’ ‘Crimes Against Humanity’ will feature work by artists who witnessed the liberation of Bergen-Belsen, a concentration camp and survivors, notably Edith Birkin (née Hoffman), as well as the witnesses of the Nuremberg Trials (Laura Knight, Feliks Topolski and George Biddle).

George Butler’s powerful drawings made in situ in Ukraine, continue to remind us of the power of the artist as witness to the devastating impact of war on communities: the shattering of lives, forced migration and displacement as well as the need for rebuilding, peace and reconciliation.

This groundbreaking exhibition is co-curated by Dr. Gill Clarke MBE and the Russell-Cotes, and is accompanied by a catalogue, available to buy in the Russell-Cotes Shop. It showcases a rich collection of artworks from the museum’s permanent holdings, alongside significant loans from private and regional collections. Artist as Witness: The Impact of War is at Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum, Bournemouth (25 October 2025 – 8 March 2026)

Dr Gill Clarke is a writer, curator and former academic. She has published widely on twentieth century British Art; her books include: Evelyn Dunbar: War and Country; Randolph Schwabe: A Life in Art; Conflicting Views: Pacifist Artists. She has also curated exhibitions at Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum, Bournemouth, Burgh House & Hampstead Museum, Pallant House Gallery, Chichester and St Barbe Museum & Art Gallery, Lymington, where she co-authored with Steve Marshall Unsettling Landscapes: The Art of the Eerie and most recently Parallel Lives: Eight Women Artists.