Paintings by suffragette leader Sylvia Pankhurst will go on show at the Tate Britain in 2020.
The Tate revealed it had acquired the watercolours by the renowned women’s rights campaigner, coinciding with the centenary of women’s suffrage in 2018.
The four paintings, which are currently located in Scarborough, will be moved in 2019 and transferred to the London gallery for display the following year.
Sylvia Pankhurst’s works from 1907 show women of the period working in mills and potteries, and were created following the artist’s tour of working environments. Two of them depict workers in Glasgow’s cotton mills as they supervise the machinery used to spin yarn.
The paintings have remained with the artist’s family since being produced 111 years ago and have rarely been exhibited to the public. However, this year, the pictures were shown at Manchester Art Gallery in the spring and are currently on display at Scarborough Art Gallery until January 6 2019. Following that, they will join the Tate’s collection.
Helen Pankhurst, the granddaughter of Sylvia, said: “The family are delighted that some of Sylvia’s paintings are being acquired by Tate.
"Sylvia was an artist as well as a champion of working women’s rights, her first passion not as well known as her second. In these beautiful pieces these interests are powerfully combined.”
Sylvia Pankhurst was also the subject of a musical written by Kate Prince and Priya Parmar, which faced a troubled run at the Old Vic earlier this year.
For more information visit tate.org.uk
