Devised by the National Gallery and museums throughout the UK, Fruits of the Spirit: Art From the Heart pairs nine pictures from the National Gallery’s collection with nine from partner institutions. The exhibition is inspired by Saint Paul’s description of themes including love, joy, and peace in the Christian Bible.

The paired paintings open up discussions around Saint Paul’s nine positive attributes in his 2000-year-old letter to the Galatians: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The letter discusses how to build and maintain community in the face of disagreement. Although the list comes from a religious source, the nine attributes are positive and helpful for individuals and communities within both religious and secular contexts.

Participating organisations come from a range of new and established partnerships from locations and venues as varied as Canterbury Cathedral, The McManus Art Gallery and Museum in Dundee and The Box in Plymouth.