Some of the most well-loved British artists of the 20th and 21st centuries feature in a new exhibition that opens at the Higgins Bedford on Castle Lane this Saturday (15 October).
From Eric Ravilious, Edward Bawden and Paul Nash to Elisabeth Frink, David Hockney and Lucian Freud, the exhibition brings together some of the biggest names in British art, and explores its history since the 20th century.
Changing Times: A Century of Modern British Art is the first large-scale exhibition since the post-pandemic reopening of The Higgins Bedford.
The show will be spread over three galleries with around a hundred works from two important collections: Bedford’s own Cecil Higgins Collection and the Ingram Collection of Modern British and Contemporary Art.
Themes running through the show include the artist’s self-portrait and the evolution of landscape painting and the exhibition features sculpture, paintings and works on paper.
Changing Times is curated by James Russell, previously curator of Eric Ravilious and Edward Bawden at Dulwich Picture Gallery.
The exhibition is accompanied by a major new book – Revisiting Modern British Art, published in association with The Ingram Collection and edited by Jo Baring (Director, The Ingram Collection).
Complemented by a range of striking images, the book succeeds in showing the strength of the British artistic tradition while also encouraging the reader to rethink and explore the existing narrative.
Cllr Doug McMurdo said: ”It’s great to welcome this exhibition to the Higgins Bedford. Visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy modern art not seen in Bedford before, sitting alongside our own amazing collection.”
This free exhibition opens on Saturday 15 October and runs until 16 April 2023.
The exhibition is supported by The Friends of The Higgins Bedford.
