Henley Festival unveils ‘dazzling’ visual arts programme

Henley Festival returns this July with a visual arts programme featuring an array of fine art, ceramics, sculptures, photography, prints, paintings and light installations.

Presented by Berkshire IT distributors Westcoast, it’s the UK’s only boutique black-tie festival, with a 40-plus-year legacy.

Among this year’s visiting artists are figurative painter Mark Demsteader, Doug Moran National Portrait Prize-winning artist Esther Erlich, and sculptor Holly Bendall, whose bronzes include a Greenpeace-backed permanent public installation in Cornwall.

Guests can also enjoy exhibitions at the Ruby Gallery, Audi High RISE Gallery, Festival Gallery and Sculpture Garden, while the banks of the Thames will be glowing and humming with an all-immersive installation – the larger-than-life bubble artwork Evanescent by Atelier Sisu.

The visual arts programme is set to complement Henley’s usual lineup of music, comedy, dining, dancing and fireworks. This year’s festival runs from Wednesday 10 to Sunday 14 July.

For the full lineup, visit the Henley Festival site.