As long as I have been making and enjoying art, I have retained a special fondness for collage. The rearranging of image, line, colour and texture on to a two dimensional surface, speaks to our earliest encounters with mark making and rearranging the things that we see. This first glance at a selection of some of the collage works available on the Art UK website is just stuff that grabbed me. I hope they inspire you to investigate these artists more deeply, and to create your own collages. Cheers.
I love the verticality of this one. I also like when painters work over collage. The textures are fantastic.
Robert Anthony Dixon (b.1950)
Oil, charcoal & collage on canvas
H 130 x W 110 cm
Coventry University
The diagonals of those central greens and in amongst the distressed greys are great. It's like a kind of jazz geometry at play. One of the things I love about collage is the intent. It looks random, but there's real purpose to the interplay of elements.
Philip Reeves (1931–2017)
Acrylic, collage, watercolour & gouache on hardboard
H 80.8 x W 111.4 cm
The Hunterian, University of Glasgow
The dream like world that Midori Harata has created here, is a psychedelic playground of overlapping forms. The curves on the patterened elements set off the drawn central character beautifully. I'm all about that blue and white pentagon as well. Adorable.
Midori Harata
Acrylic & collage on board
H 26.5 x W 26.5 cm
Central Saint Martins Museum & Study Collection
There's a real sense of space and the outdoors in this piece by Shirley O'Neill. The solid blue and red at the bottom, reminds me a lot of the Scottish lowlands.
Shirley O'Neill (b.1947)
Acrylic & collage on paper
H 37 x W 79 cm
Gonville & Caius College, University of Cambridge
What I like about this Hockney from 1961 is the humour. He was irresistibly drawn to America but remained quintessentially English. (Well, he's a Yorkshireman, so that's like English through an amplifier and cranked up to eleven.) You look for the collage in this piece and then find the tiny head of George Washington, which I am quietly in love with. I love the juxtaposed flags as well. Positionally, colour wise, size. It says a lot about the post Victorian decline of British global influence.
David Hockney (b.1937)
Etching & aquatint in three colours with collage on paper
H 50 x W 50 cm
The Ingram Collection of Modern British and Contemporary Art
This is a mixed media marvel. Metal, paper, paint, stamps. The keys from old style sardine cans are a nice touch. I'm not sure if the flowers in his hair are a reference to Blake's pre-eminence as an artistic force through the 1960s...
I like the perforated paper here. There's a beautiful energy at work. There's a speed at work.
Work that features text often confounds the eye. Your brain looks for meaning in the lettering.
Robyn Denny (1930–2014)
Oil & collage on hardboard
H 133 x W 122.1 cm
Ferens Art Gallery
The nice thing here is the use of translucent acrylic, so you can see the detail of the collage elements beneath.
Debbie McCoy
Oil, acrylic, collage, wood & cloth on canvas
H 180 x W 250 cm
Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education
In this piece, Laura Dean uses vintage style photo imagery. I use a lot of 1940's-1970's magazine photos. Back then in the days before HD, with the advent of colour reproduction, they would make stuff incredibly vibrant. The colour of the two women to the left is incredibly vivid.
Laura Dean
Oil & collage on canvas
H 122 x W 183 cm
Coventry University
The ethereal lightness here is noteworthy. That central area of pale blue paint to the bottom makes the whole composition. I love the fragility of the paper at the top on the left.
A dramatic piece here from Velika Janceva. Is the figure running away from the sniper's rifle, or running away having just fired it? I love the questions that collage raises.
Velika Janceva (b.1980)
Oil & collage on canvas
H 60 x W 80 cm
Southampton Solent University
I went on holiday to Greece in 1984. It was as hot as this collage looks.
Kurt Jackson (b.1961)
Acrylic collage
H 19.5 x W 18 cm
RWA (Royal West of England Academy)
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Richard Hamilton's collage work of the 1960s was unbeatable. Brilliant depth, line and weight at work. That desk looks like you could lean in and set a cup of tea on it.
Richard Hamilton (1922–2011)
Oil & collage on photograph on panel
H 62.5 x W 89 cm
National Galleries of Scotland
Another Hamilton here, inspired by the 1960s biggest news story, the space race. The cheeky CCCP to the left of the frame reminding viewers that the Soviets got there first. One of Kennedy's biggest ambitions was to put an American on the moon, which tragically he never lived to see.
Richard Hamilton (1922–2011)
Oil, cellulose paint and collage on wood
H 61 x W 81.3 cm
Tate
Terry Frost working a bit like Matisse here, painting his own elements which he then collages onto a surface.
Terry Frost (1915–2003)
Acrylic & collage on canvas
H 122 x W 81.2 cm
Royal Academy of Arts
This early Frost collage I think was made in his final year at Camberwell School of art. The tones of the blocks beautifully augmented by the fragile charcoal line.
Terry Frost (1915–2003)
Oil, charcoal & paper collage on board
H 41.7 x W 76.5 cm
The Pier Arts Centre
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Paolozzi was an instinctive and brilliant collage artist. Inspired by the postwar boom years explosions in art, culture and industry. This piece is a classic Paolozzi sculpture, juxtaposing mechanical elements with classical art imagery.
Eduardo Luigi Paolozzi (1924–2005)
Collage & pencil on paper
H 26.3 x W 18.7 cm
The Ingram Collection of Modern British and Contemporary Art
Peter Blake's collage work was like the 1960s in microcosm. Optimism, change, youth, bold primaries but always with an eye on our past. The enamelled lettering and crafted framing.
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![Sid James](https://d3d00swyhr67nd.cloudfront.net/w550/collection/NPG/NPG/NPG_NPG_6820-001.jpg)
This Ruskin Spear portrait of actor and comedian Sid James is also a portrait of Britain in 1962. James' black and white portrait framed by a television screen, in a faux lounge setting. Newspapers, magazines, post, a CND leaflet and a brochure for Henry Moore sit on the coffee table. It has a slight feel of Kurt Schwitters work.
Ruskin Spear (1911–1990)
Oil & collage on canvas
H 122 x W 91.2 cm
National Portrait Gallery, London
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Joan Eardley was a painter who often incorporated found elements and detritus into the surface of her works. Landscapes painted at Catterline on the East Coast would have grass, soil, sand and flowers mashed into the pigment. Her paintings of Glasgow children like this one, often featured a found text element.
Joan Kathleen Harding Eardley (1921–1963)
Oil, newspaper & metal foil on canvas
H 61 x W 68.6 cm
National Galleries of Scotland
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![Warbeth I](https://d3d00swyhr67nd.cloudfront.net/w550/collection/CSF/BGT/CSF_BGT_BGT754-001.jpg)
I love this work. The tones and colours interplay perfectly. I would love to talk about why this couldn't just have been painted as opposed to collaged. Collage I suppose does allow you to try ideas out before committing to the glue...
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham (1912–2004)
Acrylic on card on hardboard (collage)
H 78.1 x W 25.4 cm
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust
This Ben Nicholson is reminiscent of Braque and Picasso. While the text draws the eye, the textures and shapes in the black areas are fab.
Ben Nicholson (1894–1982)
Oil, pencil and collage on canvas
H 89.1 x W 68.3 cm
Tate
Check out the work that's gone into the background around the pictorial elements. Wonderful.
Paul Morris (b.1965)
Oil, wood & collage on canvas
H 107 x W 152 cm
University of Dundee, Duncan of Jordanstone College Collection
This monochromatic version of the Norwegian flag is a powerful image.
Blair Anderson (b.1967)
Oil & collage on board
H 65.5 x W 90.5 cm
Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums
This 'checkerboard' arrangement by R.B.Kitaj is a work you could kill a lot of time in front of.
R. B. Kitaj (1932–2007)
Oil & collage on canvas
H 102 x W 127.5 cm
Pallant House Gallery
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Another 'Glasgow kids' painting by Joan Eardley, with two blocks of newsprint framing her subjects.
Joan Kathleen Harding Eardley (1921–1963)
Oil & collage on board
H 60.5 x W 74 cm
Kirklees Museums and Galleries
A lovely vibrant 'art map' of West London. Perfect vehicle for collage.
Christopher Corr (b.1955)
Acrylic & collage on paper
H 106 x W 81 cm
The Nightingale Project
This selection of one penny bus tickets by Islwyn Watkins is a lot like the Dadaist's works of the early 20th Century.
Islwyn Watkins (1938–2018)
Collage & acrylic on paper
H 13 x W 24 cm
y Gaer Museum, Art Gallery & Library
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![The Firemen of Alijo](https://d3d00swyhr67nd.cloudfront.net/w550/collection/TATE/TATE/TATE_TATE_T07778_10-001.jpg)
The dense complexity of this Paula Rego work is magnificent.
Paula Figueiroa Rego (1935–2022)
Acrylic, oil pastel, charcoal, graphite, resin and ink with paper and aluminium paper collage on canvas
Tate
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A later collage by Paolozzi here, is a marvellous fractured portrait. The elements are pulled apart but brought together with line work.
Eduardo Luigi Paolozzi (1924–2005)
Collage & mixed media on paper
H 33 x W 25.5 cm
The Ingram Collection of Modern British and Contemporary Art
A great use of light, tone and shapes by Terry Frost.
Terry Frost (1915–2003)
Acrylic and canvas collage on canvas
H 198.1 x W 259.1 cm
Tate
A brilliant collage this, using tickets, photos and various other bits of life wreckage to paint a picture of a young woman.
Alasdair Gray (1934–2019)
Acrylic on paper & collage on board
H 75.7 x W 47.3 cm
Glasgow Life Museums
There's a dreamlike quality to this one by Joan de Bethel. The image spilling over onto the picture frame, adds to this.
Joan de Bethel (1923–2017)
Collage & acrylic on board
H 56 x W 58.5 cm
Rye Art Gallery
Worth noting that even a single collage element can add something to a painting.
Anthony Hill (1930–2020)
Oil & collage with black chalk on canvas
H 52.7 x W 36.4 cm
National Galleries of Scotland
A city with two Cathedrals and its share of sectarian issues, this work by Gareth Jones is evocative of Liverpool.
Gareth W. Jones (b.1989)
Acrylic & collage on card
H 45.5 x W 32.5 cm
Liverpool Community College
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![Lucky Thirteen](https://d3d00swyhr67nd.cloudfront.net/w550/collection/SRY/INGR/SRY_INGR_ARTUK219-001.jpg)
This kind of 'scrap book' style of collage is a compelling image. So much to look at.
Nigel Henderson (1917–1985)
Collage, watercolour & gouache on paper
H 50 x W 40 cm
The Ingram Collection of Modern British and Contemporary Art
This collage by Olive Cook is rich with contrasting images and textures.
A lovely vibrant photomontage from Anne Storno, using bold synthetic colours.
Anne Storno (b.1975)
Screeprint & paper collage on paper
H 50 x W 50 cm
Scarborough Museums and Galleries
Gris was making 'papier collé' work after visiting Picasso and Braque round about 1912. His work differed in having a broader colour palate.
Juan Gris (1887–1927)
Gouache, collage, chalk and charcoal on canvas
H 92.1 x W 72.7 cm
Tate
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This incredible dense work by an unknown Dundee artist shows you what collage is capable of. Layers upon layers under colours then more layers. Marvellous.
unknown artist
Acrylic & mixed media on board
H 45 x W 38 cm
University of Dundee, Duncan of Jordanstone College Collection
So much going on in this work. So atmospheric.
Great use of a map of India and Pakistan in this work by asian artist Salima Hashmi.
Salima Hashmi (b.1942)
Acrylic, tea wash, gold leaf & collage on paper
H 152 x W 306 cm
Bradford Museums and Galleries
A great narrative collage piece here.
Donna Jamieson (b.1969)
Collage & oil on board
H 62.5 x W 42 cm
University of Dundee, Duncan of Jordanstone College Collection
An almost graphic line in this piece by Roy Grayson.
Roy Grayson (b.1936)
Oil & collage on canvas
H 134 x W 258 cm
Arts Council Collection, Southbank Centre
The sinking of Argentinian warship The Belgrano was one of the most controversial incidents of the Falklands conflict. This evocative painting and collage is owned by The Imperial War Museum.
John Kirkwood (b.1947)
Oil & collage on canvas
H 182.8 x W 182.8 cm
IWM (Imperial War Museums)
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![Willy Call-Up](https://d3d00swyhr67nd.cloudfront.net/w550/collection/NFK/NCM/NFK_NCM_NWHCM_1984_288-001.jpg)
A marvellous collision of period elements collaged together and then painted over with oils.
Nigel Henderson (1917–1985)
Photomontage, oil & added collage elements mounte*
H 40.6 x W 51.1 cm
Norfolk Museums Service
A brilliant abstract collage from Victor Passmore with a great sense of space and vibrance.
Victor Pasmore (1908–1998)
Oil & paper collage on canvas
H 60 x W 51 cm
Ferens Art Gallery
A haunting and considered work from Grace Gardner. Modern found photo portraiture alongside images of classical Greek statuary, maps and text. The grey acrylic wash that the piece sits on adds to the mood. The flashes of blue text remind one of the Greek sky and the Aegean Sea.
Grace Gardner (1920–2013)
Acrylic & collage on canvas
H 107 x W 91.5 cm
Falmouth Art Gallery
There's a playfulness to this work which is irresistible. Vibrant collaged components and words sit on a white background. The addition of collaged components to a painting can change mood and context.
Hervé Télémaque (1937–2022)
Oil on canvas, paper collage
H 162.2 x W 129.8 cm
The Hunterian, University of Glasgow
Explore artists in this Curation
View all 43-
Salima Hashmi (b.1942)
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Nigel Henderson (1917–1985)
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Debbie McCoy
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Grace Gardner (1920–2013)
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Peter Blake (b.1932)
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Shirley O'Neill (b.1947)
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Juan Gris (1887–1927)
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Velika Janceva (b.1980)
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Clive Barker (b.1940)
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Paula Figueiroa Rego (1935–2022)
- View all 43