Tony Foster’s New Exhibition Exploring Time Opens in Truro This July

Published On: 23 June 2025Last Updated: 23 June 2025By CornishStuff

From Tywardreath to Everest, Tony Foster’s new exhibition opens in Truro this July

An internationally renowned artist and adventurer from Tywardreath is bringing his life’s work back to Cornwall this summer in a major new exhibition.

‘Exploring Time: A Painter’s Perspective by Tony Foster’ opens at the Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery in Truro on 8th July and will run until 25th October. The exhibition will then tour to the Royal Watercolour Society in London, the Dayton Art Institute in Ohio, and other international venues.

For 45 years, Tony Foster has travelled from his home near St Austell to some of the world’s most remote and challenging landscapes, armed with a small tin of watercolours and his camping gear. His paintings, created entirely on location, range from small, detailed studies to large-scale watercolours capturing the scale and drama of wild places.

“I’ve been all over the world, and I can honestly say I’ve never found anywhere more beautiful and varied than Cornwall,” said Tony. “But I have an insatiable desire for exploration, and it’s an intrinsic part of my work. I always love coming back to Cornwall though – it’s my anchor.”

Painted in the Wild

Tony’s work has taken him to rainforests, deserts, mountains and river valleys across the globe. The concept for Exploring Time was born during a painting expedition to Everest in 2007, when a monk gave him an ammonite fossil found near the summit. The encounter prompted a shift in focus towards the systems and timescales that shape the natural world.

The exhibition is divided into frames of reference – Geological, Biological, Human and Fleeting – offering viewers a look at time through nature’s lens, from the movement of mountains and rivers to the passing of seasons and appearance of rainbows.

Visitors will also be able to see Tony’s painting and camping equipment, including a specially modified easel designed for use in harsh environments. An extract from Painting at the Edge, a film directed by David Schendel, will be shown as part of the display. The museum is also planning a symposium and a closing lecture where Tony will share stories from his travels.

📷CAPTION: Tony Foster painting in Ilulissat looking across the Kangia Icefjord, Greenland, 2002. Courtesy of the Foster Art & Wilderness Foundation.

Artwork Featured in Photo: 1998.2.2 Ilulissat - Looking 220∫ True SW Across the Kangia, 2002

From Cornwall to California

Despite his love for Cornwall, Tony is the only living British artist to have a dedicated museum in the United States. The Foster Museum in California, which partnered with Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery for this exhibition, presents his work in a 14,000 square foot space that is free and open to the public.

Tony has exhibited at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, the Royal Watercolour Society and the Royal Academy in London. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and was awarded the Cherry Kearton Memorial Medal in 2001 for his artistic portrayal of the world’s wilderness.

Bryony Robins, Co-Director of Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery, said: “We’re extremely honoured to have Tony exhibiting with us, and have enjoyed working closely with the team from The Foster Museum in California to deliver the exhibition.”

She added: “Tony has as much in common with natural history documentary makers as his fellow landscape painters and, like them, his work helps people appreciate and value the remote, majestic places he visits.”