Rugby is the proud owner of the nationally known Rugby Collection, which is permanently stored and cared for at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum.  The Collection was established in 1946 to collect works by artists of ‘promise and renown’ for the borough of Rugby.  What was achieved with a relatively small budget is a testimony to the vision of the Town Council in 1946 who made the commitment to collect art for the town.  The Collection now holds 220 paintings, prints, drawings, photographs and video works and includes works by many significant British artists including J D Fergusson, L S Lowry, Paula Rego, Stanley Spencer and Bridget Riley.

A small selection of the Rugby Collection is on display and includes some firm favourites amongst our visitors, notably Lowry, Stanley Spencer, Graham Sutherland and Paul Nash as well as some artworks that haven’t been out on display for a while. This includes four works by McKinnon, Faithless, Bell and Napper that show scenic landscape and townscapes, each with a different style and use of medium.

A larger selection of the Rugby Collection will be on display in February in our annual Rugby Collection exhibition. This year it will be selected by David Remfry RA.