Inspired artist’s hospice paintings go on show at Bolton Museum

Two paintings by celebrated artist, Ghislaine Howard have gone on display at Bolton Museum and Art Gallery.

The compelling artworks capture patients and staff in the Well-Being Hub at Bolton Hospice.

The paintings are the result of Ghislaine Howard’s year-long association with the Hospice, which began in 2023.

The artist spent time talking to and observing patients and staff at the site on Queens Park Street.

She was particularly drawn to the activities in the Well-Being Hub where people with life-limiting conditions can come to socialise and enjoy therapies and occupational activities of various kinds.

The two paintings on display in Bolton Museum and Art Gallery have been selected from a group of works Howard produced in response to the intimate moments of care she witnessed at the hospice.

Ghislaine Howard enjoys a national reputation as a figurative painter whose work reaches out from the personal and domestic to those issues that affect us all.

She has work in many private and public collections, including the Royal Collection.

The artist is best known for her ability to create compelling images that relate to shared human experiences, from the moment of birth to the moment of death.

The Bolton Hospice paintings, including At the Salon and After Reiki, continue Howard’s commitment to these themes.

One of the reasons Howard wanted to work at Bolton Hospice was because of her awareness of Barbara Hepworth’s painting The Magnifying Glass (1948), which is on display in Bolton Museum and Art Gallery.

Hepworth’s striking image of an ear operation was created in the year that the NHS was founded.

Artist, Ghislaine Howard said: “I’ve always loved this series of drawings and paintings by Barbara Hepworth, and this one is particularly inspirational, as I love the way she has suggested the care, concentration and the intensity of the medical team’s shared focus on the job in hand.

“She immediately draws the viewer into the composition, almost as if one was part of the team, and Hepworth’s picture inspired me to attempt to capture something similar at Bolton Hospice.

“I am grateful to the staff at the Hospice for allowing me to spend time observing their vitally important work.”

This project is also associated with Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, who invited Ghislaine Howard to curate a selection of work at their headquarters, where around 150 paintings of Howard’s are housed.

This invitation inspired Howard to set up an initiative that she called Ten Boroughs / Ten Paintings.

Howard said: “The idea is simple: each year, I select a work of art from one of the public galleries of the ten Greater Manchester boroughs and develop a painterly ‘conversation’ with it, and the first borough I chose was Bolton.”

Bolton Council’s Executive Cabinet Member for Culture, Cllr Nadeem Ayub said:

“We’re delighted to welcome Ghislaine Howard’s remarkable paintings to Bolton Museum and Art Gallery.

“These works not only showcase her extraordinary talent but also shine a light on the compassionate care provided at our local Bolton Hospice.

“It’s a privilege to see such meaningful art, inspired by our community, displayed alongside treasures like Barbara Hepworth’s The Magnifying Glass.

“This exhibition is a testament to the power of art to connect us and reflect the human spirit.”

The paintings will be on display until the end of the year.

Image 1: After Reiki by Ghislaine Howard

Image 2: At the Salon by Ghislaine Howard

Image 3: The Magnifying Glass by Barbara Hepworth