Swindon looks to put its unique modern art collection in the ark.
Swindon may be landlocked, but the Council and the Trustees of the arts in the town are looking for funding to build a magnificent ark-like structure to house its unique modern art collection.
Notes on the collection:
Swindon Museum holds one of the most important collections of modern British art in the country.
It features impressive and thought-provoking works by some of Britain’s finest modern artists, including Lucien Freud, Leon Kossoff, Frank Auerbach, Alfred Wallis and LS Lowry, alongside an important collection of studio ceramics.
The collection was established in the 1940s with the donation of 21 works by local businessman HJP Bomford, which included two drawings by Henry Moore, paintings by Graham Sutherland and an important abstract work by Ben Nicholson.
Over the last seventy years, Swindon has continued to collect the best of British art, working closely with the Contemporary art society, Art Fund and other supporters to acquire examples of almost every major movement in British art, from traditional portraits by Spencer Gore and Mark Gertler, landscape paintings by Richard Nevinson and John Nash, through to examples of British abstraction by Roger Hilton and Terry Frost and Pop Art by Richard Hamilton. Contemporary artists in the collection include Maggi Hambling, Richard Long, Stephen Pippin, Lisa Milroy and Gillian Ayres.
Press release
The ambitious plan to create an iconic museum and art gallery in Swindon’s town centre took a major step forward today, when the partners and stakeholders revealed their developing vision for the project.
The Swindon Museum and Art Gallery (SMAG) Trust recently invited a wide range of architects to submit design concepts for a state-of-the-art structure to house the town’s museum and nationally significant collection of British 20th Century modern art, which includes works by Lucian Freud, Henry Moore, L S Lowry and Graham Sutherland.
The brief for architects was to create a landmark destination that would form the centrepiece of Swindon’s new cultural quarter, become a significant source of pride and wellbeing for local residents and businesses, and attract visitors to Swindon from the wider region and beyond.
As part of its fund-raising strategy the SMAG Trust will be applying to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for a grant of around £10 million towards the £22 million project. Make Architects, whose founder Ken Shuttleworth lives in Wiltshire, have been selected to develop the design concepts to submit to the HLF as part of the bid.
Make’s proposal, designed with Arup, Steenson Varming and Alinea, presents a cutting edge venue that engages the community with a number of exciting facilities, including learning centres, event spaces, cafe and dining areas, a viewing gallery and a generous public realm.
Alongside these are four flexible independent gallery spaces which will showcase the museum’s outstanding British Art and studio ceramics collection, tell the story of Swindon, have an interactive science facility and also host visiting exhibitions.
Robert Hiscox, chair of SMAG Trust, said the board’s vision is to build the most admired civic museum in the country.
Mr Hiscox said:
“Swindon is a thriving town in beautiful countryside with easy access through rail and road for millions of people. The Council identified the need for a cultural quarter, and the new museum and art gallery will give it a heart and a centre for the local community. It will also benefit the town’s economy by making Swindon a destination for visitors and businesses. This is not a vanity project; it is a serious investment in the future prosperity of the town.”
