2019 30 Years of the Harewood Contemporary

In 1989 artist and curator Diane Howse, Countess of Harewood, established the first dedicated contemporary exhibition space within an English Country House setting.

While many heritage sites have since embraced the idea of showing the work of contemporary artists alongside their historical collections, Harewood is proud to have led the way.

That personal involvement led to many fascinating exhibitions, creative projects and cultural events across the Terrace Gallery and House, All Saints’ Church and Harewood’s landscape, placing Harewood’s landscape and heritage side-by-side with different cultural and social viewpoints of the 20th and 21st century.

This exhibition in the Terrace Gallery reflects on 30 years of contemporary programming, with a new film – Postcard to the Future – and the launch of a this publicly accessible online archive, of Harewood Contemporary. The film Postcard to the Future celebrates 30 years of the contemporary programme at Harewood and the role that Diane Howse, Countess of Harewood, has played in establishing it at the heart of Harewood.

Key figures from the arts industry – including Peter Murray, Director Yorkshire Sculpture Park; Ronnie Duncan, Art Collector; Nima Poovaya-Smith, Senior Research fellow, University of Leeds; Iwona Blazwick, Director of Whitechapel Gallery; Jane Marriott, Director of Harewood House Trust; and Lins Wilson from creative team Lord Whitney – remember some of the highlights of the last 30 years, together with an insight into Harewood’s impact on the Yorkshire art and cultural scene.