Review – Modern & Contemporary Art from the Collection of Chippenham Museum

Chippenham Museum re-opened on August 3 and together with a refresh of some galleries, the highlight is a new exhibition, Modern & Contemporary Art from the collection.

This covers significant artists associated with North Wiltshire for the last 100 years or so. Remarkably most of the collection has only been assembled over the last four years and the new exhibition galleries provide an excellent viewing space.

Starting with a lovely Robin Tanner watercolour, there follows a series of fine pictures covering the golden age of the Bath Academy of Art at Corsham when it was at the forefront of Modern British Art in the 1940s and 1950s. Excellent examples of the work of Clifford Ellis, William Brooker, Peter Potworowski, Lord Methuen RA and others are on show.

For me the highlight is Corsham Evening 1957 by Henry Cliffe. This impressive semi-abstract painting is by an artist who was important enough in the 1950s to represent British Art at the 1954 Venice Biennale, alongside Lucien Freud, Francis Bacon and Ben Nicholson. He died in Corsham in 1983 and his work deserves to be far better known today.

A charming etching of Chippenham market in the 1930s by Helen Binyon (daughter of Lawrence Binyon) is also very evocative. One of the revelations of the exhibition is the wealth of contemporary artists who live in or are associated with the area.

What caught my eye was the wooden Fire Wheel by Joe Tilson RA and the stunning huge decorated pot by Felicity Aylieff, professor of ceramic art at the Royal College of Art.

Ceramics and sculpture are well represented. Richard Cowdy’s models for the Chippenham Calf and Calne Pigs are sure to be of interest. There is something for everyone in this exhibition which firmly establishes Chippenham Museum as the major public art gallery in North Wiltshire.

A full colour catalogue which illustrates every item on view is available from the museum shop and is good value at £5.

At present the museum is open to visit by using a free timed tickets. These are available through the website chippenham.gov.uk/chippenham-museum or by ringing 01249 705020

By Roger Backway