As September draws to a close, we wanted to look back at the month: celebrate the successes of our gallery artists, introduce a guest name, and reflect on Contemporary Six's place in the wider Greater Manchester art ecosystem.
The Autumn Exhibition
This month, The Autumn Exhibition commenced — a group showcase in which each artwork explores landscape, rural, urban, or both, in its own way. Much like the transitional nature of autumn, the showcase is an amalgamation of present and past, memory and seeing the same object sous un autre jour.
The preview was bustling, and we are grateful to all the artists and clients who attended and made it such a fabulous evening. The preview and the exhibition so far have seen strong sales for many artists, including Adam Ralston, Matthew Thompson, Jen Orpin and Jenny Aitken.
We are also very proud to announce that our Autumn Exhibition saw the sale of the L.S. Lowry oil Factory in the Snow. Snow is a rare subject for Lowry, and the painting was first acquired for the collection of Fred and Diana Uhlman. Fred Uhlman (1901-1985) was himself a talented artist who frequently painted snow scenes. Serene and almost melodic, the painting holds all the sought-after characteristics of a Lowry: figures, a dog and the factory in the background. We are thrilled that Factory in the Snow has found a new home.
Factory in the Snow by L.S Lowry. Visit our Lowry page here.
The exhibition runs until 8 October, so there's still plenty of time to see the works.
Adam Ralston Wins the Broxap Award
Last week, gallery artist Adam Ralston was awarded the 'Broxap Award' at this year's Manchester Academy of Fine Arts Exhibition for his painting 'Under Castlefield Viaduct'. Ralston was elected a full member of MAFA back in 2017 and has since gone on to become a member of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters. In 2022, Ralston had a solo show at Contemporary Six, 'Manchester on the Move', and noted at the time that, although he was 'relatively new' to painting Manchester, it was a city he was drawn to due to its 'constantly changing' urban landscape. It's brilliant to see Ralston's Manchester scenes appreciated with such an accolade today with the Broxap Award.
The artwork is currently on view as part of the 'Artful Remembrance' exhibition at Stockport War Memorial Art Gallery, and continues until 29th October.
Adam Ralston at 'Stockport war Memorial Art Gallery with Broxap Award.
Ghislaine Howard at The Whitworth
Meanwhile at The Whitworth, C6-represented artist Ghislaine Howard's artwork is currently exhibited alongside artist Caroline Walker and Whitworth collection artworks, in 'The Labour of Care'. The exhibition is, as the Whitworth states, 'dedicated to centring the voices and experiences of midwives and maternity healthcare professionals' — a theme deeply interwoven with Howard's renowned paintings depicting childbirth, everyday acts of care, and motherhood. The exhibition is ‘Developed from Still Care, a pioneering programme of artist-led workshops that began at the Whitworth in 2023, the exhibition creates space for maternity staff to pause, reflect and reconnect beyond the demands of the clinical environment.’
In the exhibition, you can also see two of Howard's pencil and charcoal studies presented in dialogue with L.S. Lowry's oil painting 'Ancoats Hospital Outpatients' Hall' from the Whitworth collection, amongst others. The exhibition runs from 1 August 2026 to 29 August 2027, so there's still plenty of time to see it.
Also at the Whitworth this month, gallery owner Alex had the pleasure of attending "The Visual Arts Ecosystem in Greater Manchester" — a workshop bringing together artists, cultural organisations, businesses and policymakers to dig into what's shaping the region's visual arts sector. A huge thank you to The Whitworth, the University of Manchester and DCMS for inviting C6.
'The Labour of Care' at The Whitworth
'The Labour of Care' at The Whitworth
'Mother and Child' by Ghislaine Howarth. Available to purchase here.
The Irwell arrived at The Lowry
Speaking of creating more fluidity between public and private cultural organisations in the Greater Manchester region, we're pleased to announce that The Irwell by Pierre Adolphe Valette is currently on display at The Lowry.
Our last exhibition, 'From Impressionism to Industrialism: Valette, Lowry & Beyond', was a showcase that revealed 'over 100 years of lived experience' in the North, picking up on how 'across generations run parallels, recurring motifs of industrialism, and a continued fascination with commercial progression set against a nostalgia for traces of the past.'
During the exhibition, The Irwell, 1913 took centre stage. Standing as a defining landmark within Valette's oeuvre, The Irwell belongs to the group of Manchester paintings that brought him his greatest renown. As the only painting of its size to have come to market — with the remainder of its sister paintings held in the public collection of Manchester Art Gallery — its sale was a rare opportunity for collectors of Valette and Northern art. The monumental work had previously been exhibited at the 1913 exhibition of the Society of Modern Painters at Orme's Buildings; a 1976 exhibition at Manchester City Art Gallery; and 'A French Influence in Manchester' at Manchester City Art Galleries in 1994 — and now, much to our delight, we can add Contemporary Six in 2026 to that prestigious list.
The new owner of the painting — a painting which features all of Valette's most sought after atmospheric devices: smog, a refined late-Impressionist technique, and commercial waterways — has generously loaned it to a public gallery, where it is once again available to view. It now hangs as part of The Lowry Collection, with a bespoke label to follow soon.
'The Irwell' by Pierre Adolphe Valette, pictured at The Lowry
Guest Artist Spotlight: Nina Hunter
We are extremely pleased to welcome Nina Hunter as a guest artist in The Autumn Exhibition. Nina Hunter is a painter, illustrator, founder of Saltaire Art School, and a quiet admirer of life's everyday poetry. Originally from Sopot, a bohemian seaside town on the Polish coast, she completed an MA at The Academy of Fine Arts in nearby Gdańsk. Her landscapes are wistful and convey a sense of ease. Or, as Nina reflects, "There's something quietly instinctive in painting these abstract landscapes." On her artwork, she also writes:
"My artwork is inspired by the traditional themes of Polish folk and a feminine aesthetic, shaped by a longing to create beauty in the everyday. Now (and forever) based in the historic village of Saltaire, in the North of England, right at the edge of the river, I'm slowly discovering the meaning of life while immersed in the gentle, wondrous rhythm of the changing seasons."
Selected clients of her artwork include: Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Davidoff, Penguin Random House, BBC Food, Paris Baguette, Condé Nast, Harrods, The Dorchester, and Ferrari.
'The Pursuit of Beauty I, 2026' by Nina Hunter, Available to purchase here.
We look forward to what October has in store!
