COLOUR REVOLUTION: VICTORIAN ART, FASHION & DESIGN EXHIBITION

TICKETS

  BOOK TICKETS

  BOOK FREE MEMBER TICKETS

BECOME A MEMBER & GET IN FREE

Images in the header above © Ashmolean / Hannah Pye and Ellie Atkins

A major exhibition, now open
21 Sep 2023 – 18 Feb 2024

Step into a revolution of colour and dispel our monochrome idea of Victorian Britain

Rediscover Victorian society as a vibrant colour-filled era – from dazzling dyes used in chic corsets, bold experiments by avant-garde painters, and the flamboyant use of nature's beauty in jewellery.

As Britain’s industrial revolution gained pace, new scientific breakthroughs allowed the Victorians to become increasingly revolutionary in their use of colour, with new hues greeted with both excitement and suspicion. This explosion of colour was embraced by artists, designers and many others in all walks of 19th-century life.
 
The exhibition includes fashion pieces – from Queen Victoria’s monotone mourning dress to the most daringly vivid clothing and accessories – and works by artists including Millais, Ruskin, Rossetti, Turner and Whistler, as well as objects from around the world and some of the earliest colour 'photograms'. It reveals the vital role that colour has played in shaping our art and culture and offers a rare opportunity to see some of these objects on public display.
 
Please note, the second room of the exhibition includes one object which discusses transatlantic slavery, which some visitors may find upsetting.

WATCH THE TRAILER

Peek inside the exhibition

https://www.youtube.com/embed/aNdHVs1yO8Y

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

'Hugely engaging... alive with objects that surprise, delight and disturb'
Apollo

'Amazing exhibition! Strongly recommend'
Anna on Facebook

'Beautiful and informative in equal measure'
Nigel on Facebook

SELECTED ARTWORKS IN THE EXHIBITION

Queen Victoria's black mourning dress, c. 1898
Jove Decadent, Despres del ball by Ramon Casas, 1899, a beautiful oil painting showing a young woman reclining on a green chaise long, wearing a black dress and holding a yellow book
Venice, from the Porch of Madonna della Salute, J M W Turner, c 1835
John Ruskin, Study of a Kingfisher with Dominant Reference to Colour
Mariana by John Everett Millais - she stands above a red velvet stool and in front of stained glass and wearing a rich blue dress c Tate Britain
Study at Dawn watercolour by John Ruskin showing purple clouds and orange and white streaks - 1868
Vivien by Frederick Sandys, 1863, Manchester Art Gallery. A vivid colourful portrait with peacock feather background.
A set of used paint tubes belonging to Whistler
Humming bird necklace and case by Harry Emanuel, 1856
Stunning vivid Lady’s day dress, England, in aniline-purple silk, about 1865–70
Folders of Dyed Samples by the Berlin Aniline Co, 1965
Women's boots in bold blue satin over linen, 1870s
The Tinted Venus marble statue by John Gibson, c 1851-6
Duchess Louise’s Queen Zenobia fancy dress, worn at the Diamond Jubilee Devonshire House Ball

EXHIBITION TICKETS

Timed tickets are in operation. Visitors and Members are strongly recommended to book tickets in advance to guarantee entry.

Please note a booking fee of £1 is added to help support the Museum and cover the costs of staffing our Box Office.

  BOOK TICKETS

FREE MEMBER TICKETS

Entry to the exhibition is free for Members but we advise pre-booking a timed slot, especially at busier periods, to guarantee entry. You will need your 13- or 14- digit Membership Number to book.

BOOK FREE MEMBER TICKETS NOW

NOT A MEMBER YET?

Members enjoy priority booking, unlimited exhibition entry, and exclusive Members-only preview days, PLUS Members-only events, our Members' Magazine posted to you twice a year, and exclusive shop, café and restaurant discounts.

JOIN TODAY

EXHIBITION VISITING FAQS

 

Full-Price adult

Ticket prices

£15.30
£17.00 with Gift Aid

 

FREE Entry (but booking is strongly recommended) for
  • Members & Patrons
  • Under 12s
  • Carers (see 'Disabled visitors & carers' section, below)
  • University of Oxford students
  • ASH passholders
  • OU GLAM staff & Ashmolean volunteers
  • Museum colleagues (OU Ruskin School, ICOM, UK Museums Association, NMDC members)

Proof of eligibility must be presented with your ticket when you visit.

 

Concession rate tickets available for
  • Senior citizens
  • University of Oxford staff & alumni

Proof of eligibility must be presented with your ticket when you visit.

 

Half-Price tickets available for
  • Blue Light cardholders
  • Children aged 12–17 years
  • Students and those under 25
  • Those who are unemployed
  • Art Fund members

Proof of eligibility must be presented with your ticket when you visit.

 

Disabled visitors & carers

Disabled visitors should book a regular exhibition ticket at full or concession price, depending on eligibility.

Accompanying carers can access the exhibition for free with a ticket-holding disabled visitor, but should please book one of our free 'Carer' tickets for the same time slot.

 

BECOME A MEMBER
FOR UNLIMITED FREE ENTRY

Membership gives you unlimited access to exhibitions, as well as members-only previews, exclusive discounts in our our shop, restaurant and café, and much more.

 

 

No, but booking is strongly recommended to guarantee entry.

 

The Colour Revolution exhibition shop will be open every day 10am–5pm until 18 Feb 2024, when the exhibition closes.

If you have a late afternoon ticket, and you wish to stay in the exhibition until 5pm, then we recommend visiting the shop before you enter the exhibition. The shop, and the whole Museum, will close at 5pm.

 

You'll find the terms and conditions for the COLOURFRIDAY Black Friday 2-for-1 exhibition tickets offer here:

 
TICKET TERMS

 

 

Yes, a Smartify audio guide is available. It is led by actor Greg Wise and includes 16 highlight stops.

The guide is £5 with a full price ticket, and £5 for Members and Patrons with free tickets.

You will need to buy and download the Smartify audio tour to your smartphone before visiting the exhibition when you pre-book your ticket. Please bring your headphones so you can listen to it on your device as you enjoy the exhibition. But if you forget them, you can also listen through your phone headset.

You can also purchase the tour at the exhibition shop, which is situated next to the exhibition gallery entrance..

Buy and download the Smartify Colour Revolution audio guide

Find out more about the Colour Revolution audio guide

Please note, if you're visually impaired the audio guide is free to listen to on your own device. There is no need to pre-book this, the QR code to the self-guided tour can be requested at the exhibition ticket desk on the day of your visit.

 

Yes. Access to the exhibition is via lift and the entire exhibition is wheelchair accessible. Handheld labels are available.

There is also a level access route from the pavement outside the Museum to the front door. You can read more about Museum access at this link Ashmolean Access Guide

Disabled visitors should book a regular exhibition ticket at full or concession price, depending on eligibility (when tickets are made available later this year). Accompanying carers can access the exhibition for free with a ticket-holding disabled visitor, but will need to book a free, timed Carer ticket.

 

Yes, we will facilitate group visits to the exhibition. 

Please contact the Box office on onlinetickets@ashmus.ox.ac.uk at least 3 weeks in advance of your preferred visit date to check availability and make the arrangements.

 

Yes, we will facilitate school group visits to the exhibition.

Please contact the Box office on onlinetickets@ashmus.ox.ac.uk at least 3 weeks in advance of your preferred visit date to check availability and make the arrangements.

 

For any media enquiries about our exhibitions, please refer to our Press information page

Part of our World In Colour Season

 

PRESS

To contact the Press Office please click here

 

EXHIBITION SUPPORTERS

Lead Support generously provided by
Mr Barrie and Mrs Deedee Wigmore

With additional support from:
The Huo Family Foundation 
Kathryn Uhde 
The Patrons of the Ashmolean Museum 
Albert Dawson Educational Trust
The Henry Moore Foundation 
Dr Lee MacCormick Edwards Charitable Foundation 
The Anson Charitable Trust

This exhibition has been made possible as a result of the British Government Indemnity Scheme. The Ashmolean Museum would like to thank HM Government for providing indemnity and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and Arts Council England for arranging the indemnity.

Thank you to:
The Sumitomo Foundation for the support of conservation of the fabric pattern book.
To all our lenders, who are supporting our exhibition with objects.

The research presented in this exhibition was undertaken for the Chromotope project (Sorbonne Université) in partnership with the University of Oxford and the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers in Paris.  The project received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.

More about the Chromotope research project

Chromotope Logo