COLOUR REVOLUTION: VICTORIAN ART, FASHION & DESIGN EXHIBITION
A major exhibition, now open
Dispelling our monochrome idea of Victorian Britain. Discover a revolution of colour.
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 will include fashion pieces – from Queen Victoria’s monotone mourning dress to the most daringly vivid clothing and accessories – and works by artists including Ruskin, Rossetti and Whistler, as well as objects from around the world and some of the earliest colour 'photograms'. It will reveal the vital role that colour has played in shaping our art and culture.
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.
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.
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.
EXHIBITION VISITING FAQS
Full-Price adult | |
Ticket prices £15.30 |
FREE Entry (but booking is strongly recommended) for | |
Proof of eligibility must be presented with your ticket when you visit. |
Concession rate tickets available for | |
Proof of eligibility must be presented with your ticket when you visit. |
Half-Price tickets available for | |
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.
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
EXHIBITION-RELATED TALKS AND TOURS
![Part of our World In Colour Season Part of our World In Colour Season](png/icon-2023-world-in-colour-season6395.png)
PRESS
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.