Ian Mood is exhibiting a painting of the old Royal Doulton site in a landmark exhibition celebrating the 50th anniversary of L. S. Lowry’s death and the 150th anniversary of the birth of his tutor, Adolphe Valette.
Demolition of Royal Doulton by Ian Mood
Ian’s painting ‘Demolition Of Royal Doulton’ is a stark reminder of the threat to the heritage of Stoke on Trent - and hangs proudly alongside works by the greatest artists of the Northern Industrial art scene at Contemporary Six Gallery in Hale.
Peel Park, Salford by L.S. Lowry The Irwell by Pierre Adolphe Valette
This major exhibition marks both the 50th anniversary of L. S. Lowry’s death and the 150th anniversary of the birth of his tutor, Adolphe Valette. Yet it extends beyond commemoration, tracing a lineage of Northern artists across more than a century – from the early 20th century to artists painting today – exploring the landscapes, streets, and ways of seeing that define the North.
The artworks assembled reveal over 100 years of lived experience in the region. Across generations run parallels, recurring motifs of industrialism, and a continued fascination with commercial progression set against a nostalgia for traces of the past. For many of the artists displayed here, being out in the world to paint or sketch en plein air , at least in part, is central to their practice. From the impressionist strokes of Valette – who was reported to 'stand sketching with his paintbox supported by a strap around his neck' before completing works in the studio – to Lowry's street drawings, to the present day. Although distinct in subject, texture, and style, the works are nonetheless unified by the senses ignited by the North.
Ian Mood is a contemporary artist with an international reputation, having shown at Venice Biennale, Rome Art Fair, Saatchi London, Brooklyn Art Library, Battersea Art Fair & Manchester Art Fair – as well as being represented by numerous established galleries in the UK and US.
He recently held his first solo show in New York. He has numerous awards including the 2025 Painting Award at Bath Society of Artists and the Artists Association of Nantucket Frank Swift Chase Plein Air Award in 2014.
In 2019, he collaborated as artist in residence with The National Theatre (Madness of George III with Mark Gatiss) and The Royal Exchange Manchester (Mother Courage with Julie Hesmondhalgh).
Ian is a member of Manchester Academy of Fine Arts, Society Of Staffordshire Artists and the Artist Association of Nantucket (USA) where he regularly lectures as part of their summer arts programme.
Stoke on Trent is incredibly important to Ian’s practice as an artist. He works regularly and closely with local art organisations such as B-Arts and Appetite, and in Jan 2026 held his first retrospective at The New Vic Theatre.
Ian was born in 1972 and grew up in Stoke on Trent, graduating in Fine Art at the University of the West of England, Bristol in 1994.
Exhibition Details
FROM IMPRESSIONISM TO INDUSTRIALISM: VALETTE, LOWRY & BEYOND Exhibition Dates: 20 March - 23 April Location: Contemporary Six Gallery, 155 Ashley Road, Hale, Cheshire, WA14 2UW
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