The Cliff Rowe collection was donated to People's History Museum (PHM) by the artist in 1985. The full collection includes over 1,600 paintings, prints and drawings. In July 2020, members of PHM's staff looked at the collection in the context of Covid-19 and picked paintings that resonated with them.
A lifelong socialist, Rowe focused a lot of his work on industry, working life, and people – he sought to achieve socially relevant art. Initially influenced by Socialist Realism prevalent in the Soviet Union, where he worked in the 1930s, Rowe slowly moved to more abstract art in the 1960s; though his dominant themes remained the same.
Woman Looking Through a Microscope 1966
Clifford Hooper Rowe (1904–1989)
Oil on board
H 120 x W 106 cm
People's History Museum
Pulping Machine 1967
Clifford Hooper Rowe (1904–1989)
Oil on panel
H 53 x W 86 cm
People's History Museum
Clifford Hooper Rowe (1904–1989)
Oil on board
H 61 x W 122 cm
People's History Museum
Clifford Hooper Rowe (1904–1989)
Oil on board
H 93 x W 61 cm
People's History Museum
Clifford Hooper Rowe (1904–1989)
Oil on paper on board
H 122 x W 61 cm
People's History Museum
Clifford Hooper Rowe (1904–1989)
Acrylic on board
H 90 x W 49 cm
People's History Museum
Clifford Hooper Rowe (1904–1989)
Acrylic on board
H 34 x W 93 cm
People's History Museum
Clifford Hooper Rowe (1904–1989)
Oil on canvas
H 61 x W 122 cm
People's History Museum
Clifford Hooper Rowe (1904–1989)
Oil on board
H 20 x W 33 cm
People's History Museum
Black Singer 1969
Clifford Hooper Rowe (1904–1989)
Oil on board
H 97 x W 152 cm
People's History Museum
Woman with Birdcage in Window 1931
Clifford Hooper Rowe (1904–1989)
Oil on board
H 61 x W 91 cm
People's History Museum
