History

In 1981 the Isle of Anglesey County Council acquired at auction the studio collection of Charles Tunnicliffe, who died in 1979. The artist had lived at Malltraeth, Anglesey since moving there from his native Cheshire in 1947. It was through the efforts of the Local Authority, together with the determination of devotees of his work that this collection was purchased in its entirety and safeguarded for the island’s residents and its visitors. Following this acquisition, it was decided that a permanent home was required for the collection. Curator Denise Morris, led a team in successfully establishing Oriel Ynys Môn; a purpose built museum and gallery which opened in 1991 to collect and exhibit art and artefacts relating to Anglesey.

As well as Charles Tunnicliffe’s collection, there are also significant art collections of work by Sir Kyffin Williams and the Massey sisters as well as well-known Welsh artists including Claudia Williams, Gwilym Pritchard and Peter Prendergast.   In 2008, Oriel Môn expanded, with the addition of a gallery - Oriel Kyffin Williams that can exhibit items from national collections. The gallery was funded through the sale of a limited edition run of prints based on Kyffin Williams’ drawings, funding from its governing body - the Isle of Anglesey County Council, donations by the public through the Kyffin Williams Trust and the Arts Council of Wales.