Joseph Wright: From the Shadows is the world’s first exhibition dedicated to Wright’s famous candlelight paintings.
It brings together 21 paintings from Derby Museums’ Wright collection alongside the return of An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump (1768), which has been loaned from the National Gallery in London where it went on display in November 2025.
It is being showcased next to the museum’s own Wright masterpiece, A Philosopher Lecturing on the Orrery in which a Lamp is put in the Place of the Sun (1766) – the first time they have been seen together in Derby since 1947.
Bamford said: “From the Shadows in Derby offers both local and national audiences the chance to take a closer look at Wright’s extraordinary mastery of light, drama, and human emotion in this landmark touring exhibition.”