20th Century spotlight: Rugby Art Gallery & Museum

Established by Rugby Borough Council in 1946 to collect works by British artists 'of promise and renown', the Collection now holds over 220 paintings, prints, drawings, photographs and video works, including works by J D Fergusson, L S Lowry, Paul Nash, Paula Rego, Stanley Spencer and Bridget Riley. The Collection has been housed at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum since the gallery opened in 2000 and a small proportion of the collection is always on permanent display. Developed in association with Grant Waters, Art Detective Group Leader: South East England, East England and the Midlands.

Artists featured in this Curation: Craigie Ronald John Aitchison (1926–2009), Stephen Bone (1904–1958), Ann Brain (b.1944), Argent Brierley (1893–1960), Robert Buhler (1916–1989), Arthur Roden Burgess (1935–2021), Prunella Clough (1919–1999), Harold Cohen (1928–2016), Peter Coker (1926–2004), Joan Kathleen Harding Eardley (1921–1963), and 40 more See all

50 artworks

Storyline Album Showcase

Craigie Aitchison (1926–2009)
Head of a Girl 1971
Craigie Ronald John Aitchison (1926–2009)
Oil on canvas
H 76.5 x W 64 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© the artist's estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Stephen Bone (1904–1958)
Railway Men 1942
Stephen Bone (1904–1958)
Oil on canvas
H 64 x W 102 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Ann Brain (b.1944)
Shuckburgh Sunset, Warwickshire 2003
Ann Brain (b.1944)
Oil on canvas
H 38 x W 43 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© the artist. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Argent Brierley (1893–1960)
A Norfolk Farm 1940s
Argent Brierley (1893–1960)
Oil on canvas
H 51.5 x W 61 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© the copyright holder. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Robert A. Buhler (1916–1989)
Moret, France c.1952
Robert Buhler (1916–1989)
Oil on board
H 40.5 x W 50.7 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© the artist's estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Arthur Roden Burgess (1935–2021)
Grand Union 1978
Arthur Roden Burgess (1935–2021)
Oil on board
H 64 x W 48 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© the artist's estate. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Prunella Clough (1919–1999)
Red/Green Cycle 1975
Prunella Clough (1919–1999)
Oil on canvas
H 129.5 x W 117 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© estate of Prunella Clough. All rights reserved, DACS 2025. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Harold Cohen (1928–2016)
Alcide 1962
Harold Cohen (1928–2016)
Oil on cotton duck
H 84 x W 76.5 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© the artist's estate. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Peter Coker (1926–2004)
Forest IX 1959
Peter Coker (1926–2004)
Oil on canvas
H 160.5 x W 129 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Joan Kathleen Harding Eardley (1921–1963)
Sunset 1960s
Joan Kathleen Harding Eardley (1921–1963)
Oil on board
H 47.5 x W 43.5 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© the Eardley estate. All rights reserved, DACS 2025. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
John Elwyn (1916–1997)
In the Hills' Elbow 1959
John Elwyn (1916–1997)
Oil on board
H 35.5 x W 46.6 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© the artist's estate. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Merlyn Oliver Evans (1910–1973)
Forms in Interior Lighting 1953
Merlyn Oliver Evans (1910–1973)
Oil on canvas
H 71 x W 91.2 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© the artist's estate. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Leila Faithfull (1896–1994)
Quayside Scene, St Mandrier, France 1949
Leila Faithfull (1896–1994)
Oil on canvas
H 33.2 x W 46 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© Leila E. Evans. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
John Duncan Fergusson (1874–1961)
The Blue Lamp 1920s
John Duncan Fergusson (1874–1961)
Oil on board
H 45.5 x W 40.3 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© Courtesy of Culture Perth & Kinross Museums & Galleries.. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Sylvia Gosse (1881–1968)
Huntsmen before the Gates of Hibouville 1930s
Laura Sylvia Gosse (1881–1968)
Oil on canvas
H 53.5 x W 66 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© the artist's estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Maggi Hambling (b.1945)
A. S. 1974
Maggi Hambling (b.1945)
Oil on cotton duck
H 54.7 x W 58 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© the artist / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Barbara Hepworth (1903–1975)
Three Groups of Figures on a Pink Ground 1949
Barbara Hepworth (1903–1975)
Oil & pencil on board
H 57.3 x W 74 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© Bowness. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Josef Herman (1911–2000)
Head of a Miner 1960s
Josef Herman (1911–2000)
Oil on paper laid on canvas
H 61 x W 49.5 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© estate of Josef Herman. All rights reserved, DACS 2025. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Roger Hilton (1911–1975)
Untitled c.1959
Roger Hilton (1911–1975)
Oil on canvas
H 46 x W 91.5 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© estate of Roger Hilton. All rights reserved, DACS 2025. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Lubaina Himid (b.1954)
Man in Paper Drawer
Lubaina Himid (b.1954)
Wood & paint
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© the artist. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Mary Kessell (1914–1977)
Night Landscape with Moon 1965
Mary Kessell (1914–1977)
Oil on paper
H 28 x W 87 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© the artist's estate. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Leon Kossoff (1926–2019)
Head of Father 1978
Leon Kossoff (1926–2019)
Oil on board
H 32 x W 23 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© the artist's estate. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Edward Le Bas (1904–1966)
Girl in a Striped Blouse 1945
Edward Le Bas (1904–1966)
Oil on canvas
H 66.5 x W 56.2 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© the copyright holder. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Louis le Brocquy (1916–2012)
Ageing Man Washing 1954
Louis le Brocquy (1916–2012)
Oil on canvas
H 61 x W 37 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© the artist's estate. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Thérèse Lessore (1884–1945)
Mr Fossett: Circus at Bath 1940
Thérèse Lessore (1884–1945)
Oil on canvas
H 69 x W 43.5 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Wyndham Lewis (1882–1957)
Beach Babies 1933
Wyndham Lewis (1882–1957)
Oil on canvas
H 51 x W 61.5 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© by kind permission of the Wyndham Lewis Memorial Trust (a registered charity) / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Sine MacKinnon (1901–1996)
Street Scene, Paris, France 1940s
Sine MacKinnon (1901–1996)
Oil on canvas
H 44 x W 53 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© the copyright holder. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Laurence Stephen Lowry (1887–1976)
Monday Morning 1946
Laurence Stephen Lowry (1887–1976)
Oil on board
H 51 x W 26.5 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© The Estate of L.S. Lowry. All Rights Reserved, DACS 2025. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Edward Middleditch (1923–1987)
Still Life Study 1971
Edward Middleditch (1923–1987)
Oil on cotton duck
H 120.5 x W 160.5 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© the estate of Edward Middleditch, courtesy James Hyman Gallery, London. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
John Minton (1917–1957)
Corsican Landscape 1947
John Minton (1917–1957)
Oil on board
H 55.5 x W 78.7 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© Royal College of Art / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
John Napper (1916–2001)
Village in Provence, France 1948
John Napper (1916–2001)
Oil on canvas
H 51 x W 61 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© DACS 2025. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Paul Nash (1889–1946)
View R 1940
Paul Nash (1889–1946)
Oil on card
H 59.8 x W 41.9 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Jennifer Palmer (b.c.1935)
Old Rectory Garden 1958
Jennifer Palmer (b.c.1935)
Oil on board
H 62.5 x W 81.5 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© the copyright holder. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Claude Rogers (1907–1979)
Winter Landscape
Claude Rogers (1907–1979)
Oil on canvas
H 44.8 x W 60 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© Crispin Rogers. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Paula Figueiroa Rego (1935–2022)
The Bride's Secret Diary 1981
Paula Figueiroa Rego (1935–2022)
Acrylic & collage on canvas
H 158 x W 150.5 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© the artist's estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Ruskin Spear (1911–1990)
In the Dope Shop of an RAF Mosquito Aircraft Factory 1943
Ruskin Spear (1911–1990)
Oil on canvas
H 72 x W 92 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Stanley Spencer (1891–1959)
Richard Carline 1923
Stanley Spencer (1891–1959)
Oil on canvas
H 56 x W 41 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© the estate of Stanley Spencer. All rights reserved / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Ian Stephenson (1934–2000)
Paraphase Study 1961
Ian Stephenson (1934–2000)
Oil & collage on paper
H 39 x W 43 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© the artist's estate. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Rowland Suddaby (1912–1972)
Spring Landscape 1940s
Rowland Suddaby (1912–1972)
Oil on canvas
H 63.5 x W 76 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© the artist's estate. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Valerie Thornton (1931–1991)
The White Church c.1958
Valerie Thornton (1931–1991)
Oil on cotton duck
H 50.3 x W 60.7 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© the artist's estate. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
David Tindle (b.1932)
Still Life on a Tall Stool 1977
David Tindle (b.1932)
Oil on board
H 33 x W 30.5 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© the artist / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Julian Trevelyan (1910–1988)
Charenton, France 1947
Julian Trevelyan (1910–1988)
Oil on canvas
H 61 x W 76.5 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© the artist's estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Joan Warburton (1920–1996)
Still Life with Victorian Embroidery 1945
Joan Warburton (1920–1996)
Oil on canvas
H 56 x W 68.5 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© the artist's estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Carel Victor Morlais Weight (1908–1997)
The Towpath, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire 1948
Carel Victor Morlais Weight (1908–1997)
Oil on canvas
H 40.5 x W 50.5 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© the artist's estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Ethelbert White (1891–1972)
Romney's House, Hampstead, London 1940
Ethelbert White (1891–1972)
Oil on canvas
H 61 x W 76 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© the Ethelbert White estate. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Geoffrey Earle Wickham (1919–2005)
Stone Pine 1957
Geoffrey Earle Wickham (1919–2005)
Oil on board
H 91.5 x W 122 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© the copyright holder. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Victor Willing (1928–1988)
Feathers 1979
Victor Willing (1928–1988)
Oil on canvas
H 179 x W 153 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© the artist's estate. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Christopher Wood (1901–1930)
Bankshead, Cumberland 1928
Christopher Wood (1901–1930)
Oil on canvas laid on board
H 37.5 x W 45.5 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Bryan Wynter (1915–1975)
Seafall 1959
Bryan Wynter (1915–1975)
Oil on canvas
H 101.8 x W 76.5 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© estate of Bryan Wynter. All rights reserved, DACS 2025. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections
Laetitia Yhap (b.1941)
Tadpoles 1970
Laetitia Yhap (b.1941)
Tempera & watercolour on paper
H 83.5 x W 92.5 cm
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections

© the artist. Image credit: Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Art Collections