www.wiltshire.gov.uk
John Creasey Collection of Contemporary Art
John Creasey Museum exists to perpetuate the name of this important local author, to draw attention to his life, his writings and his many achievements.
The Museum was founded in 1975 as the John Creasey Literary Museum but in 1979 the Creasey collection of Contemporary Art was added and in 1983 a Student collection was started. In 1989 the museum adopted the name “John Creasey Museum” to show its wider function and in 1991 became a Registered Museum with the Museums and Galleries Commission. In March 1998, Wiltshire County Council became trustees of the Museum and its collections.
Untitled No. 144 by Paul Huxley
As well as art works, the John Creasey Museum comprises over 2500 books, representing a small part of his literary achievement, together with source material, awards, scrapbooks, political ephemera, it also includes a large number of manuscripts.
Between 1932 and 1973 John Creasey wrote 617 books at the steady rate of 14 new titles per annum. 90 million copies of his books were sold in 5000 editions in some 28 languages. As well as writing under his own name, John Creasey used a number of pseudonyms that enabled him to adopt the different writing styles that would be appropriate to an author of crime, romance, westerns, historical, sporting novels and philosophy, politics and other subjects.
Resurrection Tree, watercolour by Michael Cullimore, 1987
In 1979 the management Committee decided to broaden the original concept of the Museum and to collect modern are by artists of an established reputation, especially those with strong Wiltshire connections, who lived, taught, studies or were inspired by the area.
In 1980 the collection was launched with work by Howard Hodgkin, John Holland, Peter Kinley and Richard Smith. Since then the collection has grown to include an exiting range of sculpture, photographs, paintings, drawings and prints by such distinguished artists as:
Shadow Play 5, etching by Prunella Clough, 1/10, 1992
- Ivor Abrahams
- Cecil Beaton
- Barry Flanagan
- Fay Godwin
- Tim Head
- Leon Kossoff
- Christopher Lebrun
- Ian McKeever
- Michael Pennie
- John Piper
- Peter Randall-Page
- Kate Whiteford
Prime Cuts 1, ink on paper, by Tim Head, 1987
Contact Details
By Post
Wiltshire Libraries & Heritage HQ
Bythesea Road
Trowbridge
Wiltshire
BA14 8BS
By Email
libraryenquiries@wiltshire.gov.uk
By Telephone
01225 713727
By Fax
01225 713993
Opening Hours
Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm
