Pop and Prosperity: 1960s British Art from the Swindon Collection | Art UK

This exhibition explores the art and culture of 1960s Britain through some of the most significant paintings and drawings from the Swindon Collection. It features work by Richard Hamilton, Howard Hodgkin, Michael Craig-Martin and Mary Fedden.

The 1960s was an exciting time in British art. Against a backdrop of growing wealth, pop culture and personal freedom, a new generation of postwar artists were attending London’s art schools, surrounded by an unrivalled cultural scene. British art was infused with the challenges and opportunities found in 1960s Britain, including the tension between personal expression and social responsibility.

Artists featured in this Curation: Charles Blackman (1928–2018), Cecil Collins (1908–1989), Michael Craig-Martin (b.1941), Mary Fedden (1915–2012), Sheila Mary Fell (1931–1979), Terry Frost (1915–2003), Roger Hilton (1911–1975), Howard Hodgkin (1932–2017), Charles Houghton Howard (1899–1978), George Melhuish (1916–1985), and 7 more See all

19 artworks

Storyline Album Showcase

The Family

© DACS 2024. Image credit: Museum & Art Swindon

The Family 1961

Charles Blackman (1928–2018)

Oil on board

H 122 x W 106 cm

Museum & Art Swindon

Pastoral

© Tate / Tate Images. Image credit: Museum & Art Swindon

Cecil Collins (1908–1989)

Oil & tempera on board

H 75 x W 90.5 cm

Museum & Art Swindon

Box That Never Closes

© Michael Craig-Martin. Courtesy Gagosian Gallery. Image credit: Museum & Art Swindon

Box That Never Closes 1967

Michael Craig-Martin (b.1941)

Blockboard, polyurethane paint, varnish & brass hardware

H 61 x W 61 x D 61 cm

Museum & Art Swindon

The Thames

© the estate of Mary Fedden / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Museum & Art Swindon

The Thames 1962

Mary Fedden (1915–2012)

Oil on canvas

H 49.3 x W 59.5 cm

Museum & Art Swindon

Silage Heap near Drumburgh, Cumbria, II

© the artist's estate. Image credit: Museum & Art Swindon

Silage Heap near Drumburgh, Cumbria, II 1964

Sheila Mary Fell (1931–1979)

Oil on canvas

H 69.5 x W 90.3 cm

Museum & Art Swindon

Grey, Red and Black Verticals

© estate of Terry Frost. All rights reserved, DACS 2024. Image credit: Museum & Art Swindon

Grey, Red and Black Verticals 1962

Terry Frost (1915–2003)

Oil on canvas

H 101 x W 126.5 cm

Museum & Art Swindon

November

© estate of Roger Hilton. All rights reserved, DACS 2024. Image credit: Museum & Art Swindon

Roger Hilton (1911–1975)

Oil on canvas

H 112 x W 86.5 cm

Museum & Art Swindon

Gramophone

© Howard Hodgkin. All rights reserved, DACS 2024. Image credit: Museum & Art Swindon

Gramophone 1964–1966

Howard Hodgkin (1932–2017)

Oil on canvas

H 71.5 x W 91.5 cm

Museum & Art Swindon

Painting

© the copyright holder. Image credit: Museum & Art Swindon

Charles Houghton Howard (1899–1978)

Oil on canvas

H 59.4 x W 85 cm

Museum & Art Swindon

Action Painting

© the copyright holder. Image credit: Museum & Art Swindon

Action Painting 1958

George Melhuish (1916–1985)

Oil on paper board

H 56 x W 70.5 cm

Museum & Art Swindon

Vortex

© the copyright holder. Image credit: Museum & Art Swindon

George Melhuish (1916–1985)

Oil on paper

H 61 x W 85 cm

Museum & Art Swindon

The Mysterious Gift

© Desmond Morris. Image credit: Museum & Art Swindon

The Mysterious Gift 1965

Desmond Morris (b.1928)

Oil on canvas

H 99 x W 70.7 cm

Museum & Art Swindon

Play: Here We Exemplify (Fugato) the Additive Perseverative and Subtractive Modes, Thesis as Object and Artwork as Residue of Process

© All rights reserved, DACS 2024. Image credit: Museum & Art Swindon

Play: Here We Exemplify (Fugato) the Additive Perseverative and Subtractive Modes, Thesis as Object and Artwork as Residue of Process 1968

Tom Phillips (1937–2022)

Acrylic on canvas

H 45.7 x W 152 cm

Museum & Art Swindon

Night Sky

© the artist's estate/courtesy Flowers Gallery, London. Image credit: Museum & Art Swindon

Jack Smith (1928–2011)

Oil on board

H 58.5 x W 58.5 cm

Museum & Art Swindon

Once

© Richard Smith Foundation. All Rights Reserved, DACS 2024. Image credit: Museum & Art Swindon

Once 1962

Richard Smith (1931–2016)

Oil on canvas

H 213.5 x W 121.5 cm

Museum & Art Swindon

Elektra

© estate of George Warner Allen. Image credit: Museum & Art Swindon

George Warner Allen (1916–1988)

Oil & tempera on canvas

H 90 x W 100 cm

Museum & Art Swindon

Landscape

© the artist's estate. Image credit: Museum & Art Swindon

Denis Wirth-Miller (1915–2010)

Oil on canvas

H 75.5 x W 90.5 cm

Museum & Art Swindon

Winged Idol

© the artist's estate. Image credit: Museum & Art Swindon

Winged Idol 1963

Roger Leigh (1925–1997)

Bronze & yew

H 46.5 x W 47.7 cm

Museum & Art Swindon

The Sibyl

© Tate / Tate Images. Image credit: Museum & Art Swindon

Cecil Collins (1908–1989)

Oil & acrylic on board

H 75 x W 90 cm

Museum & Art Swindon

View all 17

Roger Hilton (1911–1975)
Cecil Collins (1908–1989)
Michael Craig-Martin (b.1941)
Tom Phillips (1937–2022)
George Warner Allen (1916–1988)
Terry Frost (1915–2003)
Charles Houghton Howard (1899–1978)
Jack Smith (1928–2011)
Sheila Mary Fell (1931–1979)
Desmond Morris (b.1928)
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