Southampton City Art Gallery is presenting a landmark exhibition this autumn, bringing together almost 100 paintings, sculptures and drawings that tell the story of Modern British Art during the first half of the twentieth century.

Opening on 26 September 2026, Art Then! British Painting, Sculpture and Drawing, 1910–1960, in collaboration with The Ingram Collection of Modern British Art, the exhibition will explore how British artists responded to the artistic revolution that transformed Europe and inspired some of the most influential and innovative works ever produced in Britain.

The exhibition has been curated by art historian and author Dr David Boyd Haycock and draws on Southampton City Art Gallery’s internationally renowned collection alongside significant loans from The Ingram Collection.

The exhibition will offer visitors a rare opportunity to see artworks from across five decades of artistic innovation and features works by some of the twentieth century’s most celebrated artists, including Barbara Hepworth, Eric Ravillious, Henry Moore, Paul Nash, David Bomberg, Elisabeth Frink and Lucian Freud, showcasing the diversity, creativity and ambition that defined modern artistic movements in Britain.

Also on display are works by several less well-known, but no less fascinating, figures whose contributions to modern art are increasingly being celebrated.

Through landscapes, portraits, sculpture and abstract works, visitors will discover how artists embraced new ideas and techniques inspired by movements such as Impressionism, Expressionism, Fauvism and Surrealism, helping to shape the future of British art.

The exhibition will remain on display until 21 February 2027. It follows a period of growing profile for the Gallery, including its recent British Surrealism exhibition, participation in the Treasure House Fair in London and the fabulous exhibition of paintings by Emma Richardson, Levitate Me: Desire, Ecstasy and the Sublime, that reopened the Gallery after significant restoration works.

Councillor Sarah Bogle, Leader of Southampton City Council, said: “We are delighted to welcome this exhibition to Southampton City Art Gallery and to continue our partnership with The Ingram Collection. This collaboration is a strong endorsement of the Gallery’s national reputation and the outstanding collections we are proud to care for here in Southampton.

As we mark an important year for the Gallery, exhibitions such as this help showcase the quality and ambition of our cultural offer, attracting visitors and strengthening Southampton’s position as a destination for arts and culture. We look forward to seeing these remarkable collections brought together under the expert guidance of David Boyd-Haycock and to welcoming audiences to experience them.”

Dr David Boyd Haycock, exhibition curator, said: “I am delighted to be working with two exceptional collections of Modern British Art, in fantastic gallery spaces purpose-built to show Modern Art at its best.”

Jo Baring, Director of the Ingram Collection, said: “Southampton City Art Gallery has one of the most astonishing collections of twentieth-century British art in the UK and I am so excited to be working with the team there alongside David Boyd Haycock to present this exhibition.”

Image Credit Eric Ravilious, Rye Harbour, 1938, pencil and watercolour. The Ingram Collection