Artists for Kettle’s Yard

An exhibition as unique and intriguing as the iconic Gallery it’s supporting

How one of Cambridge’s cultural cornerstones is channelling the passion it inspires in artists, visitors and friends into a campaign with a difference, and what’s next for the Edes’ artistic gem.

The fine and applied arts have the capacity to inspire, uplift, and transport us, reminding us of the beauty and vision that are always accessible and quietly permeating our daily lives.

Nowhere is this more fully realised, and deeply felt, than at Kettle’s Yard, a gallery and museum designed to be ‘…a living place where works of art could be enjoyed… unhampered by the greater austerity of the museum or public art gallery.’

An inclusive and inviting space within a house and home, Kettle’s Yard is both an artistic resource and a Cambridge icon.

Artists for Kettle's Yard exhibition

Now, in an extraordinary milestone exhibition, ‘Artists for Kettle’s Yard’ (‘AFKY’), over 75 works by Antony Gormley, Lubaina Himid, Chantal Joffe, Issam Kourbaj, Jennifer Lee, Ben Nicholson, Lucie Rie, Megan Rooney, Edmund de Waal, Caroline Walker, Ai Weiwei, and many more have been generously donated by the artists, galleries, collectors, and artists’ estates.

From paintings and sculpture to ceramics, photography and prints, the works will be sold at Kettle’s Yard in support of the Jim and Helen Ede Fund Endowment Campaign, established in honour of the Gallery’s founders and in anticipation of its 70th anniversary in 2027. Select works will also be auctioned in a Sotheby’s modern and contemporary sale on 25 June 2026.

Its wide range of passionate supporters evidences the Gallery’s international reputation for championing the work of leading modern and contemporary artists, as well as Jim and Helen Ede’s success at creating an informal, intimate, and reflective space to absorb and appreciate art.

It is an example of the rare institution that also compels lasting loyalty in the artists who have been touched by its character and influence.

Cover artwork for the 'Artists for Kettle's Yard' exhibition catalogue.

The Jim and Helen Ede Fund Endowment Campaign is a five-year campaign to increase the Gallery’s endowment to £5 million, which will almost double the existing endowment. Now halfway to this ambitious target, ‘AFKY’ is both a celebration of what the Campaign has achieved and a revitalising of efforts and energies towards reaching the goal.

People standing and talking in the Kettle's Yard exhibition space

Artists for Kettle's Yard exhibition opening. Photo: Georgia Wilding-Glendye

Artists for Kettle's Yard exhibition opening. Photo: Georgia Wilding-Glendye

People standing and talking in the Kettle's Yard exhibition space

Artists for Kettle's Yard exhibition opening. Photo: Georgia Wilding-Glendye

Artists for Kettle's Yard exhibition opening. Photo: Georgia Wilding-Glendye

Deep roots and new shoots

‘AFKY’ participating artists are distinguished by their personal connections to the Gallery, such as early career exhibitions, major retrospectives, and new commissions.

The exhibition will feature new and never-before-seen works, including Linder’s photomontage of Jim Ede, which complements her 2020 portrait of Helen Ede; a new series of ceramic saké cups by Jennifer Lee; and a selection of watercolours by Callum Innes.

Nearby, Edmund de Waal’s Tristia, I (2025), comprising five porcelain vessels and four silver tiles in a vitrine, complements a delicately detailed flower painting by Alison Watt, a precursor to a new work that will feature in the Gallery’s major spring exhibition, ‘Handpicked: Painting Flowers from 1900 to Today’ (25 April to 6 September 2026).

Ben Nicholson’s drypoint print of Pisa will be shown with Lucie Rie’s Bottle with Flared Rim (1970s) and Antony Gormley’s cast iron Small Still II (2025), reflecting the artist’s longstanding relationship with Kettle’s Yard. Gormley’s 2018 solo exhibition remains the most visited in the Gallery’s history.

A cherished and celebrated space at Cambridge’s heart

Kettle’s Yard nestles in a quiet corner of central Cambridge, overlooking St Peter’s Church. The house was the home of H S (Jim) Ede and his wife Helen between 1957 and 1973.

In the 1920s and 30s Jim was a curator at the Tate Gallery in London. Thanks to his friendships with artists and love of the avant-garde, over the years he gathered a remarkable collection, including paintings by Ben and Winifred Nicholson, Alfred Wallis, Christopher Wood, David Jones and Joan Miró, as well as sculptures by Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, Constantin Brancusi, Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth.

At Kettle’s Yard, Jim carefully positioned these artworks alongside furniture, glass, ceramics and natural objects, with the aim of creating a harmonic whole. His vision was not of “an art gallery or museum, nor … simply a collection of works of art reflecting my taste or the taste of a given period. It is, rather, a continuing way of life from these last fifty years, in which stray objects, stones, glass, pictures, sculpture, in light and in space, have been used to make manifest the underlying stability.”

In 1966, the Edes gave the house and its contents to the University of Cambridge. The house is largely as Jim and Helen left it, with artworks in every corner, and no labels.

And this is unquestionably part of its immense charm. In its heyday as the Edes’ home, Jim would hold 'open house', giving personal tours of the collection to Cambridge students and hosting afternoon tea. Famously, students can still borrow paintings from his collection to hang in their rooms during term-time.

Kettle’s Yard, University of Cambridge photo: Paul Allitt

Kettle’s Yard, University of Cambridge photo: Paul Allitt

Jim Ede at Kettle's Yard. Photo courtesy of Kettle's Yard, University of Cambridge

Jim Ede at Kettle's Yard. Photo courtesy of Kettle's Yard, University of Cambridge

decorative

Co-chairs of the Development Committee, Suling Mead and Sarah Griffin

Co-chairs of the Development Committee, Suling Mead and Sarah Griffin

It’s a way of thinking that remains central to how Kettle’s Yard understands its identity and purpose, as reflected by those who now help guide its future.

“Jim Ede was passionate about ignoring established art hierarchies, and this shows in the way he displayed his collection”, says Sarah Griffin, Co-chair of the Development Committee at Kettle’s Yard.

“And his vision was to make art accessible for all. He would keep an open house from 2pm to 4pm every weekday for students, and give them personal tours followed by tea and homemade marmalade on toast. It was about showing the great pleasure of living with art and beauty as part of your everyday life.

“It is often the first art gallery they’ve ever seen,” says Griffin. “And Kettle’s Yard is not intimidating, for many children it is a space of calm and sanctuary.” 

It’s no surprise, then, that Kettle’s Yard has inspired such affection, given its success at launching and developing careers, and making great art both personal and relevant to a wide range of visitors.

A room within Kettle's Yard featuring artwork, including a bronze sculpture of a head on a foreground table and a seated figure sculpture in the background. Two individuals are seated and conversing near a wooden dresser, with a landscape painting on the wall above.

Fostering individual relationships with art and imagination

As a ‘legacy gift’ to the University of Cambridge, the house and its contents instantly created an enormously impactful and perpetual bequest to the University, city and nation, which took as its guiding principle the promotion of the transformative power of art.

The Jim and Helen Ede Fund strengthens the Gallery’s ability to collaborate and connect with the people it serves, from artists, students, and researchers to local communities and schools, as well as visitors from around the world.

While the University and Arts Council England support Kettle’s Yard through annual grants, these only cover just under half of running costs. As the Gallery looks towards the future, philanthropic giving is a critical element in ensuring the house and its invaluable contents and atmosphere, its artists, and its mission will all continue to flourish.

The funds raised by the Campaign will contribute to establishing a senior curator post, commissioning new art and music, and supporting work engaging local communities, schools, and young people.

‘Artists for Kettle’s Yard’ is an exceptional opportunity to dive deep into this distinctive and dynamic setting and share in the passion for art it has shaped over many decades. Discover the magic of this uniquely inspirational Cambridge space, and find out how the Edes’ vision speaks to the artist in you!

Selection of works from the exhibition

Find out more about the exhibition

Contact

To find out more about the Jim and Helen Ede Fund, please email:

Holly Kavanagh
Senior Associate Director, Kettle's Yard
holly.kavanagh@admin.cam.ac.uk

Support the Jim and Helen Ede Fund

The Jim and Helen Ede Fund Endowment Campaign is a 5-year fundraising initiative to increase Kettle's Yard's endowment by £5 million by the end of 2027, our 70th anniversary year.

We hope everyone who cares for and is inspired by Kettle’s Yard will help us to achieve this ambition.

Discover how you can support this campaign