Prints of artwork from the Swindon Collection now available to buy
It is widely regarded as one of the best collections of Modern British Art outside London, and now people have the chance to look at their very own version of the artwork on their wall at home.
Published: Thursday, 26th November 2020
For Swindon Museum and Art Gallery has teamed up with charity Art UK to offer prints of the works from the Swindon Collection for art lovers to buy.
Art UK is a charity supporting museums and galleries around the UK to make artworks accessible and to support collections across the UK. The Art UK Shop is a direct way to support public collections, including Swindon’s.
The partnership does not cost the Swindon Borough Council-owned museum anything and Art UK does not take a share of the revenue. Income from sales goes directly back to collections to support the vital work they do around collections care, public engagement programmes and learning.
Art UK has over two million annual unique users and its UK audience is growing by 20 per cent each year.
Prints are available in a number of sizes and can be bought framed or unframed. A range of bespoke, custom-made frames and mount options is also offered.
The Swindon Collection of Modern British Art is one of the most remarkable collections of its kind outside London.
It started in the 1940s with a generous donation by H. J. P. 'Jimmy' Bomford of works by artists such as Ben Nicholson, L. S. Lowry and Jack Smith.
The collection has continued to develop through the acquisition of works by Lisa Milroy, Turner-Prize nominee Steven Pippin, R. B. Kitaj and Eileen Cooper, and paintings by Basil Beattie, Ivon Hitchens, Maggie Hambling and Tony Bevan.
The expansion of the collection has been achieved through the generosity of individuals and the support of bodies such as The Art Fund, the Contemporary Art Society and the Victoria and Albert Museum Purchase Grant Fund.
Councillor Dale Heenan, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for the Town Centre, Culture and Heritage, said: “The current COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to close Swindon Museum and Art Gallery to the public, but we have been working on ways to give people the chance to view our fantastic artwork in different ways.
“This new offer gives art lovers the opportunity to purchase their favourite work from the Swindon collection and will help provide vital income to Swindon Museum and Art Gallery.”
Swindon Museum and Art Gallery will be taking part in the #ShopMuseums and #MuseumShopSunday campaigns, which aim to encourage people to buy their gifts from online museum shops in the run-up to
#MuseumShopSunday, which takes places this coming Sunday (29 Nov), was set up by the Association for Cultural Enterprises to support a retail push for museums on the Sunday following Black Friday.
#ShopMuseums was created by the Museums Association, the oldest museums association in the world, in response to the coronavirus crisis with many museums, galleries and cultural institutions under lockdown once again in the UK.
A link to the Art UK shop is on the Swindon Museum and Art Gallery website at: www.swindonmuseumandartgallery.org.uk/shop
Picture: picture showing The Black Sea Coast by Roger Eliot Fry (1866–1934) courtesy of Art UK