History
The gallery was established as the 'Museum of Modern Art' in 1966 by architect Trevor Green with the aim of making modern visual art accessible to the general public. The museum opened in an old brewery building on Pembroke Street. The building was designed in 1892 by architect Harry Drinkwater for Hanley's City Brewery company.
The museum altered direction in 2002 when it dropped the 'Museum' part of its name. There was sound reasoning behind the name change, for MAO is not a museum with permanent collections of artwork, but an exhibition space, offering a constantly changing programme of exhibitions and performances. Despite the name change the ... er ... museum, is often known as MoMA Oxford.
Modern Art Oxford is now one of the leading UK venues for contemporary art, with a history of ground-breaking and innovative exhibitions. Among artists whose work has featured in past exhibits are Yoko Ono, Carl Andre, and Tracey Emin.
Recent exhibitions include an unusual combination of works by Victorian Arts and Crafts pioneer William Morris and pop artist Andy Warhol. There are frequent art workshops including subjects as diverse as experimental drawing, tapestry, music, and printing, as well as lectures by and about contemporary artists.
Its well worth popping into the gallery to see what's on, or checking the official website for news on upcoming events and exhibitions.
The museum and its exhibits are usually free to enter, thanks to funding from Arts Council England.
