Museum & Art Swindon
Museum & Art Swindon, formerly Swindon Museum and Art Gallery, is a museum and gallery in Swindon, England. It is run by Swindon Borough Council and since 2024 has been housed within the council's offices at Euclid Street, Swindon.
History
[edit]The Swindon Art Gallery collection was established in 1944 by a local benefactor, H. J. P. Bomford, through a significant donation of artworks.[1] Until June 2021 it was displayed in Apsley House, a 19th-century former house[2] on the corner of Bath Road and Victoria Road in Swindon's Old Town,[3] but had to leave when Swindon Borough Council decided in the summer of 2021 that the building was no longer suitable and required major repairs;[4] it had been closed to the public since March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] The collection was placed in storage, and the council stated their commitment to the long term future of the institution.[6]
The facility reopened in July 2024 under a new name, Museum & Art Swindon, after the council spent £520,000 converting the first floor of its Civic Offices building at Euclid Street.[7] The building, completed in 1939, is described by Historic England as "a striking and well-realised Moderne design".[8]
Collection
[edit]The collection focuses on major artists and movements of 20th and 21st century British art, with several works presented by the Art Fund[9] and the Contemporary Art Society.[10] Artists in the collection include Simon Carter, Amanda Ansell, Ben Nicholson, Henry Moore, Lucian Freud, Graham Sutherland, L S Lowry, Paul Nash, Steven Pippin, Terry Frost, Roger Hilton, Howard Hodgkin, John Hoyland, Richard Hamilton, Gwen John, Augustus John, Maggi Hambling, John Bellany, Tony Bevan, Ivon Hitchens, John Piper, Christopher le Brun, Dennis Creffield, Lisa Milroy, Julie Umerle, David Leach, Lucie Rie, Hans Coper, Gillian Ayres, Linda Ingham, Robert Priseman, Sheila Fell, Eileen Cooper, Grayson Perry and William Turnbull. The media include paintings, photography and studio pottery.[11]
At its former Apsley House venue, the museum had on display local archaeology, geology, and history. Displays presented Swindon's geological Jurassic history, its association with the Roman Empire, and the town's social history.[1]
Events
[edit]Swindon Museum and Art Gallery was one of the venues for the annual Swindon Festival of Literature.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Swindon Museum and Art Gallery". Swindon Borough Council. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
- ^ Historic England. "Bath Road Museum, Apsley House and gate piers (1023456)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- ^ "Swindon Museum and Art Gallery". Culture24. Archived from the original on 12 August 2018 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Kendall Adams, Geraldine (6 July 2021). "Anger over proposal to close Swindon Museum and Art Gallery building". Museums Association. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- ^ Thomas, Aled (5 July 2024). "Swindon's museum and art gallery to open in new location next week". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ "Swindon Museum and Art Gallery is safe". Swindon Borough Council. 5 July 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- ^ "New Swindon Museum and Art Gallery opens four years after closure". BBC News. 9 July 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ Historic England. "Swindon Civic Offices (1467731)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ "Swindon Museum and Art Gallery". Art Fund.
- ^ "Swindon Museum and Art Gallery". Contemporary Art Society.
- ^ "Art UK | Discover Artworks". artuk.org. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ^ "Swindon Festival of Literature". Swindon LitFest. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
Further reading
[edit]- Thamesdown Borough Council, 1991, The Swindon Collection of twentieth century British art, ISBN 1871853028
- Cummings, Sophie, 2016, A guide to the Swindon Collection of modern British art (with a foreword by Robert Hiscox), Swindon Borough Council
- Cummings, Sophie, 2016, From Where I'm Standing, Contemporary Ceramics and the Swindon Collection, Swindon Borough Council. Catalogue of an exhibition supported by Arts Council England where contemporary ceramic artists responded to works from the permanent collection.
External links
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51°33′36″N 1°46′41″W / 51.5601°N 1.778°W
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