Exhibition for painter that puts Derby ‘on the map’

Ms Bamford told the BBC the exhibition would come to Derby in June 2026 and would feature the An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump painting, which she said was “possibly Wright’s masterpiece”.

“It’s certainly one of his most iconic works of art and it’s coming back to Derby, the place where it was painted, for the first time in 80 years, so that’s a really big coup,” Ms Bamford added.

Ms Bamford said she hoped the exhibition at the National Gallery would attract new audiences to Derby to see the “broader collection” of work at Derby Museum and Art Gallery.

She told the BBC she wondered whether did “Wright make Derby or did Derby make Wright”.

“I think Wright’s one of the things that puts Derby on the map,” Ms Bamford added.