Surrealist art goes on display at Museum & Art Swindon

Orlik, whose family arrived in Swindon seeking sanctuary in 1948, studied at the Swindon School of Art from 1963 to 1966 before he gained a higher profile in the 1970s as an artist working in a surrealist idiom, and showed alongside surrealist masters such as René Magritte and Salvador Dalí.

After spending decades in obscurity, Orlik’s work has seen a recent resurgence of national interest. In collaboration with Winsor Birch, this new exhibition, The Lost Surrealist: Henry Orlik’s Quantum Revolution, seeks to explore and celebrate Orlik’s career. A selection of paintings and works on paper from private lenders present Orlik’s striking, otherworldly scenes and intricate mark making.

Guest curator Grant Ford, from Winsor Birch, said: “In forty years in the art world, I have never encountered anything like Henry Orlik’s work. It is so intense and skilful and so rich in meaning.

“These paintings are so unique and mind-bogglingly good.”

Orlik's ‘quantum painting’ method uses thousands of microscopic, spiralled brushstrokes creating surfaces that function as energetic fields. Each mark represents what Orlik calls qi: “a cosmic spirit that vitalises all things, giving life and growth to nature, movement to water, and energy to man.”

Major works, such as Eroded Castle (1980-84) and Fighting Skyscrapers, NYC (1982), required year-long commitments, with daily painting sessions of up to 18 hours. The technical accomplishment has been described as remarkable, and it combines with visionary content that has gained profound historical resonance.

Councillor Marina Strinkovsky, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Placemaking and Planning, said: “This exhibition showcases incredible work that’s never been on display before in a public museum.

“Orlik is one of Swindon’s least well known artists and I’m happy that he is getting a show at the museum where anyone can see his work for free.

“The new museum space at the Civic offices gives us the flexibility to display these lesser known works, and over a year since opening it’s still so impressive how much there is to offer.”

The works will be displayed alongside a brand new addition to the Museum & Art Swindon collection by Orlik, ‘Eggs unattached from the Sun’, which was acquired through the Contemporary Arts Society with assistance from the Friends of Museum & Art Swindon.

The Lost Surrealist: Henry Orlik’s Quantum Revolution is now open at Museum & Art Swindon, located at the Civic Offices, and runs until 14 March 2026. MAS is open Tuesday to Saturday and entry is free.