A new exhibition celebrating the landscapes and historic landmarks of Wiltshire and Dorset has opened at Museum & Art Swindon.
‘John Piper in the South Country’ explores how the renowned British artist John Piper (1903–1992) captured some of the region’s most recognisable scenery, from ancient monuments to country houses and churches.
The exhibition was curated by Andrew Lambirth and first opened at Wiltshire Museum in March before arriving in Swindon as part of the Arts Council England-funded Wessex Museums Partnership touring programme.
Although Piper is one of Britain’s best-known 20th-century artists, organisers say this is the first exhibition dedicated entirely to the work he created in the south and south-west of England.
Visitors can see paintings and collages inspired by locations including Avebury, Stonehenge, Stourhead, Fonthill, Lacock, Cerne Abbas and the Isle of Portland, alongside depictions of churches at Inglesham, Knowlton and Britwell Salome.
The exhibition also features Piper’s interpretations of Salisbury Plain, including prehistoric burial mounds and landscapes transformed by wartime farming.
Among the highlights for local visitors is ‘Bolingbroke at Lydiard Tregoze’ (1940), a work from the collection at Lydiard House Museum, which has been brought together with loans from museums and private collections across the country.
Councillor Matt Vallender, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture, Planning and Regeneration, said the exhibition offered an opportunity to appreciate the area’s enduring beauty.
“The work on display in this new exhibition showcases the amazing landscape that we live in and how much has stayed the same since John Piper first created the works.
“Thanks to the Wessex Museums Partnership we have these great opportunities to host exhibitions which may normally pass us by and I’d encourage everyone to visit before the end of September to take a look at what it has to offer.”
The exhibition is open at Museum & Art Swindon, based in the Civic Offices on Euclid Street, until 26 September. It offers visitors the chance to see how one of Britain’s most celebrated artists found inspiration in the landscapes, architecture and heritage sites that continue to define Wiltshire today.
