Our Collections, Reimagined

22 September 2026 - 7 May 2028

The Whitworth is home to an extraordinary collection of art, textiles and wallpaper from around the world. In Our Collections, Reimagined, we've brought artworks together in new and unexpected ways.

Paintings sit alongside textiles and wallpaper. Historic works meet contemporary art. Look closer and you'll find connections between works made in different times and places around the world – through the materials people use, the places they call home, the memories they carry and the ways artists make sense of everyday life. 

Discover how objects can carry stories across time and place; how artists reimagine what they see and inherit; and how art can give shape to experiences of identity, memory and belonging. 

These connections have particular meaning here in Manchester; a city shaped by making, industry, migration and exchange with the wider world. 

Along the way, you'll encounter works by artists including David Hockney, Lubaina Himid, Pablo Picasso, Paula Rego, Bridget Riley and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, alongside historic textiles, wallpapers and works by makers whose names may be less familiar or have been lost. 

There's no single way to experience the collection, and you don't need to know about art to begin. Start with something that catches your eye, make your own connections and see where they take you. 

Image credit: Detail of Jakkai Siributr, HC20. Courtesy of the artist and Flowers Gallery, London & Hong Kong. Photo by Michael Pollard.