ESSEX OPEN EXHIBITION
The Essex Open Art Exhibition was founded by Walter Beecroft (1885–1961) in 1957 to create a showcase for artists in Essex, giving them an opportunity to show their work on the walls of the then newly opened Beecroft Art Gallery at Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, Essex. In 2014 the gallery moved to the former home of the Central Library on Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea. The Beecroft Art Gallery marked its 70th year in 2023 with an Essex Open Art Exhibition.