Norman Cornish: A Life in Sketchbooks opens at the Bowes Museum, a new exhibition
exploring the creative process of one of the North East’s most celebrated artists.
The exhibition brings together drawings, paintings and watercolours alongside the
preparatory sketches that shaped them, offering visitors a rare glimpse into Cornish’s
working practice. The exhibition also features Sarah Peeling Potatoes, by Norman Cornish,
a major new acquisition made possible through the Friends of The Bowes Museum legacy
funds.
Building on previous exhibitions at the museum, including Kith and Kinship: Norman
Cornish and L.S. Lowry which included works by Cornish, this new exhibition presents a
more intimate perspective on Cornish’s work. By focusing on his sketchbooks, it reveals
the artist’s process, careful observation and ideas that underpinned his practice and
ability to find significance in ordinary lives.
Carrying a sketchbook almost everywhere, Cornish filled 269 of them across his lifetime,
capturing the streets, people and communities of the Durham coalfield with remarkable
warmth and sensitivity. The artist hoped for his sketchbooks to “have a life of their
own… and to teach people to look at things.”
A Significant New Acquisition
Cornish’s work, Sarah Peeling Potatoes, is a portrait of the artist’s wife that embodies the
tender care and admiration he felt towards her, while also reflecting the domestic scenes
that run through his work. Sarah provided the support that enabled Cornish to develop his
career as an artist and this intimate portrait suggests the deep respect and gratitude he
held for her. Slightly bent, in a prayer-like posture, she is presented with a quiet strength
and dignity that led Cornish to describe such images of his wife as representing
“thousands of women who were heroines of the coalfield”.
The acquisition has been made possible through legacy funds from The Friends of The
Bowes Museum, an independent charity that supported the museum for 75 years and
continues to enrich the collection through important acquisitions such as this.
Vicky Sturrs, Director of Programmes and Collections at The Bowes Museum said:
“Norman Cornish was one of the North East’s most celebrated storytellers, capturing
everyday life with remarkable warmth, honesty and insight. Through his sketchbooks, this
exhibition offers visitors a rare and intimate glimpse into the artist’s world, revealing the
observations, ideas and creative process that shaped his life’s works.
“We are also delighted to present Sarah Peeling Potatoes, a significant addition to the
museum’s collection. Acquired through the generosity of the Friends of The Bowes
Museum legacy funds, the painting ensures that an important part of Cornish’s artistic
legacy can be enjoyed by audiences for generations to come.”
The exhibition runs from 27 June 2026 until 3 January 2027.
Find out more: thebowesmuseum.org.uk/exhibitions/norman-cornish-a-life-in
sketchbooks/
About the artist
Norman Cornish (1919–2014) was born and raised in Spennymoor, County Durham. He
was 14 when he began his first shift in a mine on Boxing Day at Dean and Chapter Colliery,
Ferryhill and he worked as a miner for 30 years alongside his artistic practice. Encouraged
by the Spennymoor Settlement to “paint what you know”, Cornish remained deeply
committed to portraying the communities in which he lived and spent longer as a
professional artist than he had as a miner. He was long associated with Durham County
Council, which commissioned him to paint the Miners’ Gala Mural in 1962—an iconic work
considered the cornerstone of his career and one that still holds strong resonance in
Durham communities and culture.
