NOTICE:  Breakthrough will be closed from Monday 30 March to Friday 3 April 2009 for refurbishment. The exhibition will reopen on Saturday 4 April 2009.

Breakthrough is a major re-hang of the Imperial War Museum’s collection of British art. The display will incorporate outstanding artworks from the official art schemes of both world wars and significant non-official and contemporary works.

Among the items on display will be work by officially commissioned artists such as Paul Nash, CRW Nevinson, John Piper and Eric Ravilious, as well as some recently acquired paintings by William Scott and Robert Colquhoun.

UPDATE:

The Neo-Romantics at War
4 April - 28 June 2009

This new display explores the rise of British Neo-Romantic art during the Second World War. Neo-Romanticism was a predominantly British artistic and literary movement of the 1940s that was intimately connected to the looming presence of war. It took inspiration from Britain's landscape and past, particularly the work of British Romantic artists of the early nineteenth century. This heritage came under threat during wartime, leading to often sombre and poetic artistic responses. The display includes fascinating examples of Neo-Romantic artwork from the Museum’s collection, including work by Graham Sutherland, John Piper, Keith Vaughan, John Minton and a number of other artists. These artworks explore the significant impact of the Second World War on the British landscape and population.

Admission free