Museum of Cider, Herefordshire, England

27th October 2023 – 9th April 2024

Running until 9th April 2024 the Museum of Cider, in Hereford, is hosting an exhibition called ‘A Variety of Cultures’.

‘A Variety of Cultures’ is a landmark exhibition for the Museum of Cider. A must-see for everyone interested in art, everyone who likes apples, and anyone looking for positive international connections in these troubled times.

One of the highlights is a large collection of nineteenth century Australian model apples lent by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew that have never before been seen outside London.

There is also be work by New Zealand pop artist Billy Apple, Chinese art including a Cultural Revolution poster courtesy of the Ashmolean Museum, and a new commission by Anglo-French artist Anne Rook who has created a body of work which looks at the iconography associated with varieties of apples.

Special note to apple enthusiasts

The Economic Botany department at RBG Kew Gardens holds some 140 model apples, one of the largest such collections in the world. Many were made in Australia for the 1862 International Exhibition in London, some came from elsewhere.

These apples have not been seen in their entirety for half a century, meaning that the exhibition at the Museum of Cider will be an important opportunity to study the models. With many of the models being over 160 years old, it is not certain that the apples in Kew’s collection are all correctly recorded. Therefore, whilst exhibited in Hereford, it is hoped that apple enthusiasts will come to help check the varieties and perhaps advance understanding of how apples have changed over time and geography.

Please contact us if you would like to be involved with the identification or could help with other research into historic records about the models.

The exhibition runs until 9th April 2024.

Museum of Cider
Pomona Place
Hereford
HR4 0EF

Located near to Sainsbury’s Hereford

This exhibition is part of the Apples & People programme, a partnership between the Brightspace Foundation, the Museum of Cider and the National Trust in Herefordshire.

Please note that normal Museum of Cider admission fees apply to visit this exhibition, although access to the tearoom and shop is free.