The Soper Heritage Art Gallery and Education Centre, Lavenham, Suffolk

MARVELLOUS NEWS!

As a result of help from Arts Council England and Art Fund we are delighted to say that a wonderful new home has been found for The Soper Collection. This is tremendous news. The curator at the gallery has a great deal to do to before public presentation next year. We will tell you where the gallery is and more about their exciting plans when they are ready so that press releases can be coordinated.

Be assured all donated money has been passed for constructive use there. Your help is of very great value in bringing the glorious
work of this previously unsung family of artists to national conscience.

A BIG ‘THANK YOU’ TO ALL WHO HAVE SUPPORTED US THUS FAR!

Look out for further notice in the New Year.

WATCH THIS SPACE

New signees please click on ‘Our Vision’ and you will read all of our aims.
We are very happy to say that these will be achieved in the new home.
All further donations will be greatly welcomed to support exhibition and educational facilities.

To sign up for our newsletter, please click on ‘Our Vision’ and drop down to “Newsletter Sign Up”. Click there for the Form. Or click on ‘Contact Us’ – see heading above.

OUR VISION

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Exhibition of the Soper Heritage

Will enable the works of George, Eva and Eileen Soper to be enjoyed by all.

The Soper Collection is a charitable organisation established to provide a permanent exhibition space for over 700 original pieces of art by George Soper and his two daughters, Eva and Eileen. Eileen, the major illustrator for Enid Blyton, had devoted her art to so much else as well.

Our aim is to enable the work of this talented family to be taken to heart by the general public, both in the United Kingdom and further afield. The clear brilliance of the Sopers’ work is well understood by critics and art lovers who have had the privilege to view the family’s work in exhibitions and sales.

Our aim is to make the collection available for all to enjoy.

It is hoped The Soper Collection will be shown in East Anglia or elsewhere, illustrating the richness and variety of the countryside which gave inspiration to the Soper family.

The aim is to provide space for workshops, classes and lectures to educate and encourage future generations of artists, as well as art, history, country and wildlife lovers.

We need your help!

Join us on our exciting journey to provide a permanent public home for the works of the Soper family.

With your help, this unique collection will inspire the public and generations of artists to be uplifted by and to learn from the styles and techniques employed by this reclusive and remarkable family.

Support our cause

From one exhibition, an idea was born…

The Soper Collection, comprehensively comprising original pieces in oil, watercolour, etchings, woodcuts, pencil, ink and other media, was compiled by John Baker and his wife Joy.

Following the hospitalisation of Eva and Eileen in 1989, the content of the Sopers’ family home was discovered to reveal a treasure trove of original artwork. After Eileen and Eva’s death later in 1990, their joint wills stipulated that each piece should be sold in order to raise funds for the Artists’ General Benevolent Institution. It was an initial exhibition in Lavenham in 1990 of George Soper’s working horse artwork that captured Joy’s attention. John was insistent that the entire collection should not be broken up and together they arranged to purchase 16 pieces.

The couple continued to purchase pieces as more of George Soper’s artwork was released. Soon Eileen’s work appeared in an exhibition and the Bakers were captivated all over again by the celebration of life and movement that was expressed through her work. They took out a mortgage to enable a collection of Eileen’s glorious wildlife work to be kept together with that of her father.

Sadly, John passed away in 1994 but with the hope that the collection would continue to grow and that one day it would be available for the public to enjoy. Joy continued to purchase the artwork, growing the collection to over 700 original pieces along with a huge array of memorabilia, some purchased and a mass being entrusted by Chris Beetles Ltd.

Side Barn, Horse Waiting at Yard End, Chickens
(cut wood block)

Help us Find a Home

Now, the world’s largest collection of Soper artwork needs to find a permanent home in East Anglia or elsewhere. This home will reveal the glories to be found in our gardens and countryside, in our classic adult and children’s literature, in Eileen Soper’s writing for nature lovers and naturalists, and will also reveal the beauty of our English language.

Support our cause

Follow our progress

The Famous Five®, Enid Blyton® and Enid Blyton’s signature are Registered Trademarks of Hodder & Stoughton Limited. Text and illustrations © Hodder & Stoughton Limited.

Enid Blyton® and Enid Blyton’s signature are Registered Trademarks of Hodder & Stoughton Limited. © Hodder & Stoughton Limited.

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Join us on our exciting journey to provide a permanent, public home for the works of the Soper family.

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