Biography
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1899
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Born in Buenos Aires
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1911
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Sent to Canford Cliffs, Dorset, to begin her education
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1919
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Attended the Byam Shaw School of Art, London
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1920-22
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Taught watercolour painting by Georges William Thornley. Studied under Leon Underwood at Brook Green School of Art
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1921-24
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Attended Slade School of Fine Art, taught by Henry Tonks
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1925
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Married Robin Bartlett, a Slade student. Moved to Varengeville-sur-Mer in France with Bartlett
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1926
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Met Joseph Bard. Separated from Bartlett
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1928-30
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Studied in Paris. Met and befriended André Breton, Paul Éluard and Ezra Pound
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1929
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Spent the spring in the Basque country and the summer at Bandol and Menton in France
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1930
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Started to paint abstract works. Moved to Bramham Gardens, London
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1933
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First solo exhibition at Bloomsbury Gallery. Became a member of the London Group at Henry Moore's suggestion
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1934
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Met Dylan Thomas and David Gascoyne. Became friends with Ben Nicholson, Jacob Epstein and Alexander Calder
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1935
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Met Paul Nash who introduced Agar to the 'found object'
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1936
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Exhibited at the landmark 'International Surrealist Exhibition' in London, alongside Salvador Dali. Photographed the Ploumanach rocks. Signed the fourth Bulletin International du Surréalisme as a member of the Surrealist Group in England
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1937
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Featured in Alfred Barr's 'Fantastic Art, Dada and Surrealism' exhibition at MoMA in New York. Holidayed at Picasso and Dora Maar's home in Mougins; met Lee Miller.
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1940
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Worked in a canteen in Savile Row as part of her war duty. Married Joseph Bard
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1941
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Exhibited with the London Group
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1942
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First solo exhibition at the Redfern Gallery
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1944
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Spent the summer in the Lake District and painted watercolour landscapes
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1945
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War ended. Visited Cornwall with Bard
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1948
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Appeared on TV programme 'The Eye of the Artist' and on a programme introduced by James Laver on 'Hats'
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1949
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Met Peggy Guggenheim in Venice on the occasion of the PEN Club meeting
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1952-3
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Spent the winter in Tenerife. Met Eduardo Westerdahl. Made watercolours, collages and frottages. Went back every year until 1957
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1965
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Started to paint with acrylic
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1971
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Participated in the 'Britain's Contribution to Surrealism of the '30s and '40s' exhibition at the Hamet Gallery, London. Full-scale retrospective of her works at the Commonwealth Institute
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1975
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Joseph Bard died
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1988
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Published her autobiography 'A Look at My Life' with Andrew Lambirth
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1990
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Elected a Senior Member of the Royal Academy
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1991
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Died - buried in the Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris
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Selected Solo Exhibitions
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1933
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Bloomsbury Gallery, London
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1942
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The Redfern Gallery, London
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1944
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The Redfern Gallery, London
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1947
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Leger Galleries, London
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1949
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Hanover Gallery, London
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1951
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Hanover Gallery, London
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1957
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Obelisk Gallery, London
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1962
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Brook Street Gallery, London
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1963
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Galleria Billico, Rome
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1964
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Brook Street Gallery, London (Retrospective)
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1971
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Commonwealth Art Gallery, London (Retrospective)
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1975-84
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New Art Centre, London
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1987 & 1990
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Birch and Conran Fine Art, London (Retrospective)
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1999
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Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh and Leeds City Arts Gallery
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2000
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Redfern Gallery, London, 'Centenary Exhibition'
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2009
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Pallant House Gallery, Chichester, 'Eileen Agar: An Eye for Collage'
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2015
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Henry Moore Institute, Leeds, 'Eileen Agar: Natural Ready-mades'
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2017
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Jerwood Gallery, Hastings, 'Eileen Agar: Bride of the Sea'
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2018
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Redfern Gallery, London
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2018
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Farley's House & Gallery, Chiddingly
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2021-22
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Whitechapel Gallery, London, 'Eileen Agar: Angel of Anarchy' (and toured to Mjellby Art Museum, Sweden, and Leeds Art Gallery
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Selected Group Exhibitions
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1936
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New Burlington Galleries, London, 'International Surrealist Exhibition'
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1937
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MoMA, New York, 'Fantastic Art, Dada and Surrealism'
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Nippon Salon, Tokyo, ‘Exposition Internationale du Surréalisme'
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London Gallery, 'Surrealist Objects and Poems'
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1938
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Galerie des Beaux-Arts, Paris
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Gallerie Robert, Amsterdam, 'International Surrealist Exhibition'
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1939
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London Gallery, 'Living Art in England'
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1940
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Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, ‘Surrealist Work: Artists International Association’
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Zwemmer Gallery, London, 'Surrealism Today'
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1947
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Galerie Maeght, Paris, ‘Exposition Internationale du Surréalisme’
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1952
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New Burlington Galleries, London, ‘The Mirror and The Square’
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1961
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MoMA, New York, ‘The Art of Assemblage’
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1966
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Ashgate Gallery, Farnham, 'Paintings by Eileen Agar, John Bolam, Rama Rao'
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1969
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Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, ‘John Moores Exhibition’
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1971
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Hamet Gallery, London, 'Britain's Contribution to Surrealism of the '30s and '40s'
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1974
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Hayward Gallery, London, ‘British Painting 1974’
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1979
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Hayward Gallery, London, ‘Thirties: British Art and Design Before the War'
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1982
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Galerie 1900-2000, Paris, ‘Les enfants d’Alice. La peinture surréaliste en Angleterre 1930-1960’
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1986
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The Mayor Gallery, London, ‘British Surrealism: Fifty Years On’
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Canterbury, Newcastle, Leeds, Bristol, 50th Anniversary of the London 'International Surrealist Exhibition' of 1936
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1990
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Galerie Zabriskie, Paris, ‘Collages Surréalistes’
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1992
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Norwich Gallery, Norfolk Institute of Art and Design, ‘Ten Decades: Careers of Ten Women Artists Born 1897-1906’
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1997
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IVAM Centre Julio Gonzalez, Valencia, ‘El Objeto Surrealista’
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2000
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Tate Modern, London, ‘Inaugural Exhibition’
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2008
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Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, ‘British Surrealism & Other Realities: The Sherwin Collection’
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2016-17
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Tate Britain, London, 'Paul Nash'
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2017
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White Cube, Bermondsey, London, 'Dreamers Awake'
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2018
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The Hepworth, Wakefield, 'Lee Miller and Surrealism in Britain'
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2020
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Dulwich Picture Gallery, London, 'British Surrealism: 1783-1952'
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2021
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Hastings Contemporary, 'Seaside Modern: Art and Life on the Beach'
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2021
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Museum of New Zealand and tour to Seoul Arts Centre, 'A Surreal Shock: Masterpieces from Museum Boijmans van Beuningen'
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2021
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Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 'Surrealism Beyond Borders'
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Selected publications
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Nash, P. (introduction), 'Eileen Agar and Michael Rothenstein', London: Redfern Gallery, 1942 (ex. cat.)
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Read, H. (introduction), 'Eileen Agar. Retrospective Exhibition of Paintings and Collages 1930-64', London: Brook Street Gallery, 1964 (ex. cat.)
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Agar, E. (with Andrew Lambirth), 'A Look at my Life', London: Michelin House, 1988
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'Eileen Agar 1899-1991', Edinburgh: Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, 1999 (ex. cat.)
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Byatt, A.S., 'Eileen Agar 1899-1991: ‘An Imaginative Playfulness’, London: Redfern Gallery, November 2004– January 2005 (ex. cat.)
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Lambirth, A., 'Eileen Agar: An Eye for Collage', Chichester: Pallant House Gallery, 2008 (ex. cat.)
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Remy, M., 'Eileen Agar: Dreaming oneself awake', London: Reaktion Books, 2017
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Selected collections
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Arts Council Collection, Southbank Centre, London
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Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, New Zealand
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Bradford Museums & Galleries
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British Museum, London
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Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna O Waiwhetu, New Zealand
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Courtauld Institute of Art, London
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Derby Museums and Art Gallery
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Ferens Art Gallery, Hull
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Government Art Collection, London
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The Hepworth, Wakefield
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The Ingram Collection of Modern British & Contemporary Art
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Imperial War Museums
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Jerwood Collection
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Mercer Art Gallery, Harrogate
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Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam
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National Galleries of Scotland
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National Museum of Wales
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National Portrait Gallery, London
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National Trust
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Plymouth City Council
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The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent
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Reiff Collection
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Royal Academy of Arts, London
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Salford Museum and Art Gallery
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Southampton City Art Gallery
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Tate
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Victoria & Albert Museum, London
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Whitworth Art Gallery, University of Manchester
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