Le Passeur will be displayed at Tate Britain in April 2017 and will then tour to three UK partner galleries: Gallery Oldham, Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums and Southampton City Art Gallery.

Artistic high point

Painted at the international artists’ colony of Grez-sur-Loing in the early 1880s, Le Passeur is regarded as the pinnacle of Stott’s short but prestigious career.  

[quote=Stuart Hobley, Head of HLF London]“While Tate Britain will be its permanent home, Le Passeur will also visit three other important regional galleries and in so doing share the benefits that come from such a significant investment.”[/quote]

Head of HLF London, Stuart Hobley, said: “We’ve helped Tate acquire Le Passeur because it’s a beautiful painting which has played an important role in our nation’s artistic heritage. 

"While Tate Britain will be its permanent home, it will also visit three other important regional galleries and in so doing share the benefits that come from such a significant investment of National Lottery money.”

Oldham man

There are 23 paintings in British public collections by Stott, the majority of which are in Gallery Oldham, the artist’s home town. This work joins one other in Tate’s collection by him, entitled Girl in a Meadow.