A major new exhibition exploring a century of British studio ceramics has opened at Museum & Art Swindon.
Titled Beneath the Surface, the exhibition is the first large-scale showcase dedicated to the museum’s extensive ceramics collection, widely regarded as one of the finest collections of its kind in the South West.
Spanning work from the 1920s to the present day, the exhibition traces the development of studio ceramics in Britain, examining how pottery evolved from functional craft into a respected contemporary art form.
The display explores changing artistic styles, techniques and ideas over the last hundred years while challenging the traditional divide between fine art and craft.
Swindon’s ceramics collection began life during the 1960s as a teaching collection assembled by Peter Burgess, then Head of Ceramics at Swindon School of Art.
Burgess worked closely with some of the leading names in British studio pottery, including Katharine Pleydell-Bouverie, one of the founders of the movement in Britain, alongside influential artists Lucie Rie and Hans Coper.
The exhibition also features work linked to regional pottery traditions, including pieces from Cricklade Pottery, Winchcombe Pottery and Aldermaston Pottery.
Museum & Art Swindon formally acquired part of the collection in 1974, with further additions made over the following decades including works by Alison Britton, Janice Tchalenko and Carol McNicoll.
More recent acquisitions by contemporary ceramic artists Peter Ting, Natasha Daintry and Tessa Eastman are also on display, alongside works by pioneering ceramic artist William Staite Murray.
Accompanying the exhibition is a newly published illustrated book, also titled Beneath the Surface, written by exhibition curators Katie Ackrill and Kirsty Hartsiotis.
The book explores the origins of the collection, the influence of Swindon School of Art and the wider studio pottery scene across the South West.
Visitors can also view a supporting exhibition, Dialogues: Continuing Conversations from Beneath the Surface, featuring paintings and prints from the museum’s fine art collection that connect with themes explored in the ceramics display.
Artists featured include Desmond Morris, Ben Nicholson, Edward Bawden and Mary Fedden, alongside works by local artist Ray Hedger and Tirzah Garwood.
Frances Yeo, Swindon Museums Manager, described the project as one of the museum’s most ambitious undertakings.
“Producing the first major exhibition of our studio ceramics collection has been a gargantuan task,” she said.
“The exhibitions and book are a tour de force, which really are a must see for any art lover.”
