THE Ferens Art Gallery has about 500 works on display at any one time.
So where to start if you happen to be a would-be first-time visitor or just someone keen to renew their acquaintance with one of the city's most-loved venues?
Step forward, gallery curator Kirsten Simister.
She's been based there for 11 years and knows the place inside out.
On paper, my challenge to her appeared a simple one – choose ten of your personal favourite pieces and tell me a little about each one.
But it wasn't quite that straightforward.
"I could have gone for some of the best-known and popular ones but then I thought that might be too obvious," she said.
"I also thought about including the Lorenzetti (the early Renaissance Italian masterpiece acquired by the gallery recently for £1.6m) but it's not actually here yet!"
Instead, she settled on a list that actually allowed her time to catch up with some of her own personal favourites.
"Although I'm based here, I probably spend too much time at my desk looking at my computer rather than all these wonderful things around me," she said.
"In the end, I chose pieces which I feel a real connection with."
The Resurrection1 The Resurrection Of Christ by unknown English sculptor (1450)
"I really like the classic imagery of Christ rising from the tomb and the way he is standing, on one of the soldiers meant to be guarding him.
"It is made in alabaster and would have originally been highly coloured. You can still see some of the colours in the grass and flowers on the ground."
2 Portrait Of A Philosopher by Jusepe de Ribera (early 1630s)
"Ribera is known for his imaginary portraits. His paintings would reflect his subject so in this case we have a philosopher with his hand resting on his books.
"The mood is very sombre, cast in shadows."
Stoneferry Hull3 Stoneferry, Hull, with A Sloop Rigged Keel by John Ward (1835)
"Ward is probably Hull's best-known maritime artist and this tiny work is in the tradition of 17th century Dutch cabinet pictures, which were literally placed in cabinets.
"Its size is quite startling yet Ward still manages to convey a sense of space with his landscape. It has a great atmosphere to it."
4 The Blue Pool, Dorset, by Derwent Lees (1910)
"Because I'm a Scot and did a lot of hill-walking in my youth, I really have a love of landscapes.
"I like this one because the artist is not trying to be faithful to nature."
5 A Ligurian Valley by Henry La Thangue (1910)
"This might be one of those paintings you pass by without really appreciating it fully.
"Look at it long enough and you can almost smell the smoke.
"I really enjoy the way he uses the light to create an atmosphere and the way the paint has been applied."
6 County Kilkenny, A Still Morning by Sir John Lavery (1817)
"This has a lovely calm feel about it and shows a great deal of skill in the way it has been painted."
7 Icon II by Barbara Hepworth (1960)
"It's made from marble and people can't resist touching it, although we don't actually encourage it. Even so, it practically invites you.
"You can see the inspiration she took from nature and, in particular, the pebbles and shells from the coastline at St Ives, where she lived.
"It's a really beautiful work."
8 The Seated Woman by Gwen John (1910-1920)
"It's a small, quiet work but still extremely beautiful.
"She uses a chalky textured painting technique, which I like. It's also subtle yet quite decorative."
Woman With A Fan9 Woman With A Fan by Henry Laurens (1921)
"This is the most Cubist work in our collection and quite a striking work.
"Laurens was part of the Cubist movement and the piece reflects the ferment and change going on in the art world at the time."
10 Clarence Gardens by Harold Gilman (1912)
"It's a very simple subject – trees in a park with some houses behind – but it really is an attractive work.
"I have always appreciated the physicality of paint in the way it has been applied and its use here is almost sensual."
