Archive, art books and art materials

 

The Trust holds a comprehensive collection of papers, exhibition materials, sales records, images, books, audio-visual material and studio materials compiled by Wilhelmina Barns-Graham and her studio manager, Rowan James. The archive and library may be of interest to researchers, artists, and students researching the life and work of Barns-Graham, women artists of the twentieth century, the St Ives artist colony, Edinburgh College of Art in the 1930s and many more areas of research.

A selection of archive material on a blue background. From left to right: Yellow private view card; a fan of three exhibition catalogues with red, blue and yellow paintings on the cover, a black and white photo of WBG and Denis Peploe walking down Princes Street Edinburgh; blue poster for Roger Hilton and W. Barns-Graham exhibition at Bear Lane

Archive

The Trust houses Wilhelmina Barns-Graham’s extensive archive of papers accumulated by her, her mother and aunt, and her close friend and assistant Rowan James throughout her artistic career.

Notable areas of the archive include:

 

  • Correspondence between Barns-Graham and friends, family members, and notable members of the art world St Ives, Scotland and beyond,
  • Diaries and notes kept by Barns-Graham from 1930-2003,
  • Biographical records including Barns-Graham’s own reminiscences, and transcripts and recordings of interviews from 1970-2003,
  • Records relating to the day-to-day running of Barns-Graham’s studios, including correspondence between herself and Studio Assistant Rowan James, the purchase of materials, and studio sales,
  • Newspaper cuttings relating to Barns-Graham’s own life and work from 1930s-2004, the art colony in St Ives, and the opening of Tate St Ives

We also maintain an archive of the Trust’s activities from 1987 onwards.

 

Using the Archive

We welcome both researchers and students to access the archive by appointment. Find out more about accessing the material and making a visit with our User Guide.

Our Guide to Using the Archive
A selection of book covers on a salmon background. From left to right: W. Barns-Graham: Paintings and Drawings; St Ives 1939-64: Twenty Five Years of Painting, Sculpture and Pottery; W. Barns-Graham: Retrospective 1940-1989; The Fifties; Familiar Faces of St Ives; 60 paintings for '51; Scottish Art 1900-1990.

Library

During her lifetime Wilhelmina Barns-Graham accumulated a significant number of art books, magazines, private view cards, auction and exhibition catalogues.

Books, Periodicals and Images

 

Holdings of material relating to herself, the wider St Ives group of artists and 20th century British art in general are particularly strong. Periodicals that are held in depth include Art Review, Modern Painters, Art International and Art Monthly. There is also other material that represents not only her broader interest in European Art from between 1940 and 1970, but also travel, cookery, history and biography. The Library also contains Barns-Graham’s photographic records of her work and her personal archive of photograph albums.

 

Our library collection catalogue is now available online here

A selection of art materials on an emerald background including tubes of artists acrylic colour and their box, a cake pan with blue and green paint mixed, two wide paintbrushes and a box of pastels.

Studio Materials

Many of the art materials used and experimented with by Barns-Graham throughout her career are also held by the Trust.

Paints, pigments and experimentation

 

From pure pigments to early acrylic paints, our collection of studio materials reflects both Barns-Graham’s eight-decade long artist career and her experimentation with traditional and new artistic techniques. It includes: watercolour, gouache, oil, cryla and acrylic paints; pencils; pens; ink; hundreds of paintbrushes; mixing vessels; painting overalls; and more. A comprehensive inventory has recently been completed and is available to be accessed by students and researchers.

More Ways to Explore Our Archive & Library

Movement over Sand - Touchpoint Series c1980 gouache on paper 57.2 x 57.1 cm BGT1615

Inspirational Themes

Explore some of our archive and library materials in these short introductions to Barns-Graham’s themes and series

Learn More
A selection of book covers on a salmon background. From left to right: W. Barns-Graham: Paintings and Drawings; St Ives 1939-64: Twenty Five Years of Painting, Sculpture and Pottery; W. Barns-Graham: Retrospective 1940-1989; The Fifties; Familiar Faces of St Ives; 60 paintings for '51; Scottish Art 1900-1990.

Online Library Catalogue

Explore books and periodicals collected by Wilhelmina Barns-Graham and Rowan James.

Learn More

A Cornish Review in Review

A blog post examining the Trust’s comprehensive collection of Denys Val Baker’s publication, The Cornish Review, by student, Sabrina Hall

Learn More

Ephemera & Exhibitions

A unique insight into exhibition invitations and openings through the ephemera collected by Barns-Graham explored by student Luisa Hahn

Learn More