Towner Gallery

Awarded Art Fund’s Museum of the Year 2020, Towner Eastbourne has been collecting and exhibiting contemporary art for nearly 100 years.

It presents a dynamic programme of exhibitions, acquisitions and commissions by some of the most exciting and diverse artists working at all stages of their careers for as many as 175,000 visitors each year.

Towner 100 is a year-long celebration of the gallery’s centenary, with the Turner Prize 2023 forming the centrepiece of an ambitious exhibition programme.

Towner’s Collection is best known for its modern British art, including the largest and most significant body of work by Eric Ravilious (1903–1942), and a growing collection of national and international contemporary art including works by Dineo Seshee Bopape, John Akomfrah, Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Tacita Dean, Anya Gallaccio and Wolfgang Tillmans, and most recently Rachel Jones, Helen Cammock, Jananne Al-Ani and Clare Woods.

The gallery is a free and welcoming community space providing places for study and relaxation including a Collection Library and a cinema, screening a regular programme of films including new releases, documentaries, classics, family film and more. The Learning & Engagement Programme offers regular creative and making activities for families with young children, schools and adults, particularly those living with mental health conditions, both inside and outside the gallery. Its participatory programme enables participants and artists to co-create new work together. A professional development programme for artists of all levels offers artist residencies, mentoring and opportunities for collaboration and showcasing.

The award-winning gallery designed by Rick Mather Architects sits in the Eastbourne’s cultural centre, the Devonshire Quarter. The building, which opened in April 2009, is the largest purpose-built gallery in the South East.