Amazing Valentines' Day Gift

Want to get something really special for your loved one this year?

If your valentine likes collecting things or has a precious object they wish they could show the world, now's your chance to fulfil their dreams.

The Swindon Museum and Art Gallery is currently hosting The Art of Collecting exhibition - and you can buy a space to exhibit your loved one's item to the public, linking the object to a picture.

The Art of Collecting exhibition celebrates the Contemporary Art Society's centenary and its signficant contribution to the Swindon Collection of Modern British Art. The Contemporary Art Society has donated thirty-two important works during the 20th Century, including works by artists such as Terry Frost, Richard Hamilton, and John Hoyland.

The exhibition features a selection of  these works, including abstract and realistic images of landscapes, portraiture, interiors and still-life, from Philip Wilson's Boats in Harbour, 1920, to Kathy Prendergast's Lost, 1999, and Interior, 1964, by Richard Hamilton, which since it joined the Swindon collection, has been requested for display by galleries in Europe, Japan and the United States.  

Your partner can take part in this sponsorship scheme by selecting an artwork and choosing an object that has some connection for them with the artwork, along with a short explanation of why they chose a particular object and picture, and the links between the two. The object could be an item currently on display in Swindon Museum & Art Gallery, or something of their own, maybe a favourite thing with particular associations or memories.

Museum Manager Barbara Dixon said, "The Sponsor a Picture encourages people to make links between the pictures and things that are part of their lives."

The exhibition is currently running at the Swindon Museum and Art Gallery, on Bath Road. What a lovely surprise for your valentine, to have a cherished item on display for the whole of Swindon to see.

Objects currently on view include a jade necklace, a Madonna and Child wood carving, and a 1920s tennis racket.

So, if you've not yet bought a present this year, find out more about this unique opportunity - costing  £50, which will be invested in the care of Swindon Museum & Art Gallery's collections - and contact Barbara Dixon on 01793 466556 or bdixon@swindon.gov.uk