Towner Eastbourne

TOWNER’S MISSION Proud of our unique place in Eastbourne where the coast and South Downs meet, we create space for experiences that connect, challenge and inspire. ABOUT TOWNER Collecting and exhibiting contemporary art for 100 years, Towner Eastbourne presents an ambitious and high-quality programme of historic, modern and contemporary art through temporary and collection-based exhibitions, talks, events and creative activities for as many as 165,000 visitors each year. Founded in 1923 as a result of a bequest by Alderman John Chisholm Towner to create ‘an art gallery for the people’, this founding ethos remains at the heart of Towner’s mission. 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 international contemporary art including works by Dineo Seshee Bopape, John Akomfrah, Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Tacita Dean, Grayson Perry and Wolfgang Tillmans. Visitors can experience Collection highlights, from painting and works on paper to sculpture and moving image works, in Gallery 1 and the Ravilious Gallery, and through behind the scenes tours in the Art Store every other Sunday. Towner is a free and welcoming community space providing places for study and relaxation including a Sensory Room, a new Collection Library and a cinema screening a regular programme of films including new releases, documentaries, classics, family film and more. 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 Southeast. Towner Eastbourne is led by Joe Hill, Director.