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Reiff Collection

The Ties That Bind and The Everyday and the Extraordinary present two complementary perspectives on The Reiff Collection of Modern British Art, together offering a rich exploration of 20th Century art through both human connection and artistic transformation.

The Ties That Bind, presented in the Upper Gallery, focuses on the relationships that underpin the collection, revealing a network of friendships, mentorships, collaborations and shared experiences that connect artists across time and place.

From intimate exchanges, such as works gifted between friends, to portraits that capture fellow artists, the exhibition highlights how creative practice is rarely solitary. Instead, it emerges through dialogue, shaped by personal bonds, artistic communities and shared historical moments. These connections extend beyond biography into the works themselves, where influence, homage and common concerns create visual and conceptual links. In this way, the exhibition invites viewers to see the collection not as a series of isolated objects, but as an interconnected web of artistic and human relationships.

In contrast, The Everyday and the Extraordinary exhibited in the Lower Gallery traces a shift in artistic approach, moving from the observable world towards the imaginative and surreal.

Beginning with works rooted in realism, such as scenes of daily life, portraiture and landscape, the exhibition gradually transitions into compositions that disrupt logic and explore the subconscious. This journey reflects wider developments in 20th Century art, as artists responded to social upheaval, war and modernity by rethinking how reality could be represented.

Together, these exhibitions offer two ways of understanding The Reiff Collection: through the ties between people, and through the evolving language of art itself.

Find out more about The Reiff Collection through ArtUK's website and Instagram.