For International Women’s Day, we’re spotlighting four women at Sworders and the opportunities, learning and support that have shaped their careers.
8 March 2026
Sworders are proud to be sponsoring ‘Lithographic Fever’ at The Fry Art Gallery from 29 May - 31 October. The exhibition wonderfully illustrates Britain’s mid-century print boom and how colour lithography came into fashion.
In 1950, a group of Great Bardfield artists, led by Michael Rothenstein, called upon the Arts Council for financial support to enable them to publish prints celebrating the Festival of Britain. Their plea was rejected by the Art Council’s Director, Philip James, as he feared there were too many prints being published and the country was suffering an outbreak of ‘lithograph fever’.
Whilst many consider the years that followed a lean time for British Printmaking, Philip James saw the opposite effect, with colour lithography becoming a fashionable and respected medium. Bold prints in large formats suited modern tastes, and with production costs low, lithography was celebrated as an art for the people.
Bernard Cheese – Salmon Nets Drying, 1959, lithograph
This exhibition reignites the excitement that surrounded the mid-century boom in prints and demonstrates how the artists of North West Essex were pivotal to this national phenomenon.
Over thirty works have been assembled from national collections and from the holdings of the Fry Art Gallery. They include prints made for the Festival of Britain, the Coronation, and for a new age of prosperity as the country headed towards the swinging Sixties.
The Fry Art Gallery on Castle Street is currently closed to the public whilst a new extension is being built. During this time, exhibitions are being held nearby at -
The Fry Art Gallery Too | 9b Museum St | Saffron Walden | CB10 1BN
Sworders is planning for a private view of the exhibition in September with dates to be confirmed in due course.
For more information, please contact the Fry Art Gallery | 01799 520679 | info@fryartgallery.org | www.fryartgallery.org
For International Women’s Day, we’re spotlighting four women at Sworders and the opportunities, learning and support that have shaped their careers.
8 March 2026
We are excited to share a collection of works from the estate of John Nash that features in our 31 March 'Modern & Contemporary Art' auction.
6 March 2026
One of the most rewarding aspects of our auctions is the opportunity to present a personal collection - an intimate glimpse into the tastes, influences and inspirations that shaped an individual’s life. This March, our Modern & Contemporary Art sale offers exactly that: a capsule of 20 works (lots 202–221) from the private art collection of Michael Rand, the celebrated art editor and director of The Sunday Times Magazine.
6 March 2026