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Christopher Williams (1873-1934) : An Artist and Nothing Else. drawing on previously uptapped family archives, this exhibition of 137 paintings provides new insights into the life and career of one of Wales’ foremost 20th-century painters and considers the personal, professional and institutional forces that have shaped Wales’ artistic heritage.

Seventy years ago, noted historian O.M. Edwards prophesised that one day Wales ‘would wake up to realise’ the ‘greatness’ of Christopher Williams. But wherein lies Williams’ greatness? And why have we yet to wake up to it? Why, despite his professional associations and the support from leading figures in politics and academia, a painter whom Lloyd George described as ‘one of the most gifted artists Wales has produced’ could have been forgotten for so long? These questions informed the narrative of the exhibition researched, curated and designed by Meyrick, the most comprehensive to showcase Williams’ oeuvre (137 framed artworks. 7 cases of archival material).

Williams gained prominence at a time of growing interest in the history, culture and folklore of Wales. While his portraits and ambitious figure subjects in public collections fell out of fashion and were relegated to storage, his spontaneous landscape studies on the continent, in North Africa, and along the Welsh coast – never intended for public display – remain with his descendants, quite literally stored in wardrobes and under beds. The underpinning research largely involved original investigation from primary sources – 1910s canvases never before framed or exhibited, catalogues, photographs, sketchbooks, diaries, memoirs and letters that lay untouched in suitcases for generations. The exhibition at the National Library, the largest single exhibition space in Wales, drew on Williams archives to provide new insights into the life and career of one of Wales’ foremost early 20thC painters, and to reappraise his contribution to Welsh art history. Visitors considered the exhibition to be an ‘enrichment’, ‘inspiring’ and a ‘revelation’. With 6,850 visitors, it broke gallery records. National Museum Wales, Cardiff is now poised to stage Meyrick’s 2016 exhibition "Christopher Williams’ War" marking the Battle of Mametz Wood centenary and coinciding with the publication of Meyrick’s monograph on Williams.