+44 (0)113 218 1010

[javascript protected email address]

Arthur France: Son of a Small Island

Friday 13 January – Sunday 26 February 2023

As part of Harewood’s Open History series, in September 2022, a display on the State Floor celebrated the life of Arthur France, local community activist and founder of Leeds West Indian Carnival.

Visitors were encouraged to discover the story of Arthur’s remarkable life through meaningful objects and photographs, selected by him and his family to show life in Leeds in the Caribbean community since the 1950s.

The exhibition culminates in a new photographic portrait of Arthur France by Leeds-based photographer and filmmaker Ashley Karrell.

This picture was the first in Missing Portraits, a series of new photographic portraits featuring sitters of African-Caribbean heritage who have connections to Harewood, specially commissioned by Lord and Lady Harewood.

The portraits of Arthur France and David Harewood are now on display in the House, addressing the historic lack of diversity within Harewood’s portraiture collection, which until now has not represented any people of colour.