Exhibition and book to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Friends of the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, 1958-2008.

The Association of Friends of the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery has been in existence since 1958.

In 2008, the Friends are marking their 50th anniversary by exhibiting some of the works of art they have helped the Glynn Vivian to collect during the past fifty years. The exhibition has been selected by Kirstine Brander Dunthorne, who has also written a book to celebrate the Friends’ achievements.

A Passion for Art is a substantial publication which provides a well-illustrated guide – the first in recent years – to the important collection the Friends have helped to form. It includes an introduction to the exhibition, a history of the Friends and a list of all their purchases, gifts and bequests. Major British and European artists such as Barbara Hepworth, Paul Nash and Marc Chagall are represented, but there has also been an emphasis on collecting art of Welsh and local significance, which can be seen in paintings and drawings by Ceri Richards, Alfred Janes, Jack Jones, Shani Rhys James and others, as well as in Swansea pottery and landscapes.

A Passion for Art will be available for purchase at the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery and other locations, or by mail order from the Gallery Bookshop. The Friends 50th Anniversary Exhibition opens at the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery on 1 March and continues until 29 June, 2008.