Swindon Museum and Art Gallery launches a new virtual exhibition

‘Modern British Art: A Story’ Swindon Museum and Art Gallery's latest virtual exhibition.

Lockdown may have forced Swindon Museum and Art Gallery to close its doors, but people from across the country will still be able to view the town’s renowned Modern British Art collection thanks to the exhibition.

‘Modern British Art: A Story’ charts groups and movements that have shaped British art from the 1880s to today and will be available through Art UK, which is the online home of the nation’s art collections.

Art UK’s online curation tool is helping galleries to deliver virtual exhibitions, while public access to collections is limited due to covid-19. 

Swindon Museum and Art Gallery remains closed under Government guidelines, but hopes to inspire audiences to engage with art online.

Throughout lockdown, its learning and engagement project ‘Art on Tour at Home’ has created numerous ways to experience the art collection virtually. 

These include an art history podcast ‘Art Snaps’, which is available through Swindon Museum and Art Gallery’s YouTube Channel  - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwLHgHbvoC0OF8zDXyv-EPQ/videos - and numerous family and learning activities available for free at www.swindonmuseumandartgallery.org.uk/artontour

‘Art on Tour at Home’ now presents ‘Modern British Art: A Story’, which is accessible through Swindon Museum and Art Gallery’s profile on Art UK’s website. The exhibition allows visitors to switch to a ‘timeline’ view, so the works can be seen in chronological order, and the text read as a story. 

Whether viewers know a lot or a little about art, this is billed as a great way to explore Swindon’s collection.

Additional information about the artists and artworks covered will also be available through regular blog posts on the Art on Tour website, Facebook (@ArtonTour2020) and Instagram (@swindongalleryartontour).

Swindon’s collection of Modern British Art is often praised as being one of the best outside of London, with work by key artists including David Bomberg, Ben Nicholson, Richard Hamilton and Michael Craig-Martin, all of whom are featured in the virtual exhibition.

It also represents most major art groups and movements, including The Camden Town Group, The Bloomsbury Group and the St Ives School.

Coun Dale Heenan, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for the Town Centre, Culture and Heritage, said: “Covid-19 has brought many challenges for attractions up and down the country so it is really important you look for new and interesting ways to engage different audiences.

“We have done that through our Art on Tour at Home initiatives and this latest exhibition is another great example of us shining a light on one of Swindon’s best kept secrets. 

"This is all about generating interest in the fantastic artworks and paintings we are lucky to have in Swindon, and the platform provided by Art UK is a perfect way to showcase our collection to art lovers on a national level.”

‘Modern British Art: A Story’ is available now via https://artuk.org/discover/curations/modern-british-art-a-story