Discover the Treasures of The Grand Tour

3 July 2015 From 4 July, visitors to Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire are invited to embark on a Grand Tour to see the historic treasures of the region through the eyes of today’s leading artists. Visitors travelling on Season One of this 21st century Grand Tour will encounter: • Historic items from Chatsworth’s Devonshire Collection chosen by artistPablo Bronstein to be displayed at Nottingham Contemporary in whatwill be Chatsworth’s largest loan in this country for 30 years. Treasure sinclude a colossal Roman marble foot, Delft porcelain, coronation chairs for William IV and Queen Adelaide, and works by Rembrandt and Frans Hals. • New work by Pablo Bronstein at both Chatsworth and Nottingham Contemporary created in response to the historic stately home. At Nottingham Contemporary new work includes elaborate wallpaper that will wrap an entire gallery and large-scale panoramic drawings, while at Chatsworth he has created a work for their world-famous Old Master Drawing Cabinet, which will be presented with a survey of his witty and inventive drawings. • A painting believed to be by Joseph Wright of Derby, inspired by his own Grand Tour, is to go on display for the first time in over 200 years. The Colosseum, by Moonlight (c. 1789) is being restored following heavy overpainting, and will be displayed with its companion painting The Colosseum, by Daylight (1789). The two paintings will form part of the exhibition Wright Revealed at Derby Museums, an insight into the restoration and conservation of the works of Joseph Wright of Derby, one of Britain’s most popular artists. • Welbeck Estate’s unique underground ballroom and vast network of underground tunnels, built by the 5th Duke of Portland, are brought to life at The Harley Gallery. Visitors will have the rare chance to see part of Rem Koolhaas’ exhibition Elements of Architecture at the private estate that influenced the work, with photographs by Walter Niedermayr and Hans Werlemann and a film installation of Welbeck’s subterranean tunnels. • A Fringe Programme, including walks around Nottingham Castle and Newstead Abbey devised by artist Alison Lloyd, and The School of Artisan Food at Welbeck where visitors can sample food and drink encountered by Grand Tourists of the 18th Century led by food historian Ivan Day. Season Two of the Grand Tour (March – June 2016) will see work by artists Peter Blake, Rose English and Simon Starling. Grand Tourists will be able to buy a Grand Tour Passport, giving them access to special offers across the four venues, including discounted entry to Chatsworth House and Gardens, and a special Grand Tour Tea at Derby Museums. The Grand Tour website (www.grandtour.uk.com) offers a range of suggested itineraries for the tour so travellers can create a tour to suit them. A Grand Tour map highlighting key locations and suggested routes will be available. The Grand Tour partnership of Nottingham Contemporary, Chatsworth, Derby Museums and The Harley Gallery, together with Experience Nottinghamshire and Visit Peak District & Derbyshire, is a groundbreaking example of cultural tourism that will showcase the region’s astonishing wealth of art, architecture and landscape to a new generation of local, national and international visitors. Funding for The Grand Tour was awarded to Nottingham Contemporary as part of the joint Arts Council England and VisitEngland Cultural Destinations programme, which supports arts and cultural organisations to work with the tourism sector to deliver projects that aim to maximise the impact arts and culture has on local economies, with further support from the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership.