Mid-Century Modern: Art & Design from Conran to Quant

While some museums remain shuttered due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Apollo’s usual weekly pick of exhibitions will include shows at institutions that are now reopening as well as digital projects providing virtual access to art and culture.

This exhibition at Dovecot Studios in Edinburgh (from 15 July) explores the careers of the group of young British architects, designers, photographers and artists who came to prominence in the 1950s and ’60s, taking their impetus from the teachings of Eduardo Paolozzi and the Independent Group. The exhibition, organised by the Fashion and Textile Museum in London, includes a number of important works by Terence Conran and Mary Quant – including Quant’s first handbag design, and Conran’s celebrated C8 Cone Chair – as well as lighting, ceramics, and textiles by figures such as Bernard and Laura Ashley. Find out more from Dovecot’s website. 

Preview below | View Apollo’s Art Diary here

Handbag (1965), Mary Quant

C8 Cone Chair (designed 1984), Terence Conran

Terence Conran at his first exhibition in 1952, photographed by Michael Wickham. © Denny Wickham

Mary Quant in c. 1961, photographed by Vic Singh

Model wearing Mary Quant’s Pattern No. 3288, set against the Houses of Parliament (1964), John Walcott