Wagner masterpieces go on display

A County Durham cultural charity is showcasing the work of a celebrated British artist.

The Auckland Project has announced a new solo exhibition by artist and poet Roger Wagner at Auckland Palace in Bishop Auckland. 

Titled Roger Wagner: The Seeds of Eternity, the display features more than 20 paintings, alongside sketches, studies and poetry, in the Bishop Trevor Gallery.

Many of the works have not been shown together since 1994, offering visitors a rare opportunity to explore the breadth of Roger’s artistic career.

At the centre of the exhibition are two of his most celebrated paintings – Menorah (1993) and The Harvest is the End of the World and the Reapers are Angels (1989) – which will be displayed together for the first time in more than 30 years and for the first time in northern England.

Roger Wagner's The Harvest is the End of the World and the Reapers are Angels

Clare Baron, head of curatorial at The Auckland Project, said: “Roger Wagner’s paintings are both timeless and startlingly immediate. 

“In The Seeds of Eternity, we wanted to bring together works that reveal the development of his artistic vision – from intimate early studies to the monumental canvases that have defined his career.

“Wagner invites us to look again at landscapes and stories we think we know – it’s a powerful and deeply resonant experience.”

Roger is known for combining biblical narratives with contemporary landscapes, often placing religious imagery alongside modern industrial settings or scenes of the English countryside.

The exhibition traces the evolution of his work, from early pieces such as Ash Wednesday (1982) through to large-scale canvases, including selections from his Out of the Whirlwind series inspired by the Book of Job. 

Works exploring the story of Elijah will also feature.

Preparatory sketches and studies will accompany the paintings, offering insight into Roger’s creative process, while a selection of his poetry will also be displayed alongside the artworks.

Roger said: “Throughout the exhibition we have placed large finished pictures alongside the early fumbling images that gave rise to them (and some of the poems that became entwined with them), to illustrate my conviction that imagination is a path that can lead us to truth and that following it we may find, in Thomas Traherne’s phrase, ‘the seeds of eternity sparkling in our natures’.”

The exhibition, which runs until December 31, forms part of the Auckland Project’s ongoing programme to bring significant art and cultural experiences to Bishop Auckland, supporting the regeneration charity’s wider mission to celebrate the town’s heritage and attract visitors to the region.

Find out more and to buy tickets, see here.

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