Kyffin Williams’ gift to nation marked with brand new immersive experience

Stephen Price

The National Library of Wales has announced a major new immersive experience that will open its doors in October to celebrate the life and work of beloved Welsh artist Kyffin Williams.

The free visitor experience, Profiad Kyffin Experience, commemorates 20 years since Wales’ best loved artist gifted much of his life’s work to the nation by entrusting the Library at Aberystwyth with over 1,200 works on paper, 200 oil paintings and more than 300 original prints.

Cabinet Minister for Culture and Sport Heledd Fychan said: “Kyffin Williams’ contribution to art and Welsh culture is immeasurable.

“It is fantastic to see his work on display at the National Library of Wales, helping make these iconic paintings accessible to a wider audience.

“This exciting experience offers a fresh perspective on his work while inspiring new generations to discover and appreciate one of Wales’ most celebrated artists.”

This brand-new, pioneering experience is integral to the Library’s commitment to preserve, share, and make accessible their phenomenal collection.

Holding the largest collection of Kyffin Williams in the world, the experience will take place in specially transformed rooms at the Library, where visitors can expect to step into a curated collection of his paintings where landscapes and animals come to life.

According to the Library’s Chief Executive, Rhodri Llwyd Morgan: “Our relationship with Kyffin Williams spans more than 70 years, from our first purchase of his work in 1949 to the remarkable bequest he left us in 2006.

“Twenty years on, we want to introduce him to a new generation in a way he could scarcely have imagined, and to do so in the institution he entrusted with his legacy.

“This is exactly the kind of experience the Library is committed to deliver: inclusive, collaborative, and digitally innovative. We’re expecting a lot of interest and visitors are encouraged to go to the Library’s website to book a slot in advance of their visit.”

Kyffin Williams remains one of Wales’s best loved artists. His landscapes have come to define a national sense of place, while his portraits and studies of animals, including the sheepdogs that populated the hill-farms he painted, offer a warmer, more playful way into his work for younger visitors and families.

Speaking about the process of digitising Kyffin Williams’ work, Dennis Outten of Focal Studios said: “Every brushstroke in Kyffin’s paintings has been mapped and reconstructed in extraordinary detail, so we can project his landscapes without losing any of that texture. It’s been a genuine privilege working this closely with his work.”

Born in Llangefni, Anglesey, in 1918, Kyffin Williams studied at the Slade School of Art before returning to Wales, where he spent the rest of his career as a landscape and portrait painter, becoming a Royal Academician and receiving a knighthood in 1999. He is widely regarded as the defining Welsh artist of the 20th century.

The experience is made possible thanks to principal funding from Colwinston Charitable Trust, whose founder and chair Mathew Prichard CBE said: “The Colwinston Trust is delighted to celebrate 30 years of working with many high quality arts organisations across the UK by awarding a special Anniversary Grant to support this immersive Kyffin experience at the National Library of Wales later this year.

“We are thrilled to support this landmark immersive experience here in Wales, in the institution Kyffin trusted with his life’s work. Twenty years on, it feels the right moment to help a new generation discover and enjoy the work of this magnificent Welsh artist.”

The experience is also supported by the Welsh Government and the Friends of the National Library of Wales.

Full details, including how to book, will be released in the coming weeks.

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