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.
The Family 1961
Charles Blackman (1928–2018)
Oil on board
H 122 x W 106 cm
Swindon Museum and Art Gallery
Pastoral 1965
Cecil Collins (1908–1989)
Oil & tempera on board
H 75 x W 90.5 cm
Swindon Museum and Art Gallery
Michael Craig-Martin (b.1941)
Blockboard, polyurethane paint, varnish & brass hardware
H 61 x W 61 x D 61 cm
Swindon Museum and Art Gallery
The Thames 1962
Mary Fedden (1915–2012)
Oil on canvas
H 49.3 x W 59.5 cm
Swindon Museum and Art Gallery
Silage Heap near Drumburgh, Cumbria, II 1964
Sheila Mary Fell (1931–1979)
Oil on canvas
H 69.5 x W 90.3 cm
Swindon Museum and Art Gallery
Grey, Red and Black Verticals 1962
Terry Frost (1915–2003)
Oil on canvas
H 101 x W 126.5 cm
Swindon Museum and Art Gallery
November 1955
Roger Hilton (1911–1975)
Oil on canvas
H 112 x W 86.5 cm
Swindon Museum and Art Gallery
Gramophone 1964–1966
Howard Hodgkin (1932–2017)
Oil on canvas
H 71.5 x W 91.5 cm
Swindon Museum and Art Gallery
Painting 1961
Charles Houghton Howard (1899–1978)
Oil on canvas
H 59.4 x W 85 cm
Swindon Museum and Art Gallery
Action Painting 1958
George Melhuish (1916–1985)
Oil on paper board
H 56 x W 70.5 cm
Swindon Museum and Art Gallery
The Mysterious Gift 1965
Desmond Morris (b.1928)
Oil on canvas
H 99 x W 70.7 cm
Swindon Museum and Art Gallery
Tom Phillips (1937–2022)
Acrylic on canvas
H 45.7 x W 152 cm
Swindon Museum and Art Gallery
Night Sky 1957
Jack Smith (1928–2011)
Oil on board
H 58.5 x W 58.5 cm
Swindon Museum and Art Gallery
Once 1962
Richard Smith (1931–2016)
Oil on canvas
H 213.5 x W 121.5 cm
Swindon Museum and Art Gallery
Elektra 1969
George Warner Allen (1916–1988)
Oil & tempera on canvas
H 90 x W 100 cm
Swindon Museum and Art Gallery
Landscape 1956
Denis Wirth-Miller (1915–2010)
Oil on canvas
H 75.5 x W 90.5 cm
Swindon Museum and Art Gallery
Winged Idol 1963
Roger Leigh (1925–1997)
Bronze & yew
H 46.5 x W 47.7 cm
Swindon Museum and Art Gallery
The Sibyl 1964
Cecil Collins (1908–1989)
Oil & acrylic on board
H 75 x W 90 cm
Swindon Museum and Art Gallery
Explore artists in this Curation
View all 17-
Howard Hodgkin (1932–2017) -
Richard Smith (1931–2016) -
Denis Wirth-Miller (1915–2010) -
Roger Leigh (1925–1997) -
Cecil Collins (1908–1989) -
Roger Hilton (1911–1975) -
Michael Craig-Martin (b.1941) -
Desmond Morris (b.1928) -
Charles Houghton Howard (1899–1978) -
Jack Smith (1928–2011) - View all 17