Innovation, Camouflage & Discovery

Jonny Ambrose brings Innovation, Camouflage & Discovery to The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum from Tuesday 10 November to Saturday 5 December, a show that looks at Coventry and Warwickshire's automotive history through a pretty unusual lens. Ambrose is a Warwick resident, and the work draws on Britain's wartime Camouflage Directorate, when over 200 artists and designers were moved to Leamington Spa to disguise the country's buildings, airfields and ships. He takes that idea and applies it to cars, creating bold geometric artworks where the vehicle only really comes into focus as you step closer.

It's a nice bit of local connection, too. The exhibition sits in a gallery right next to Dippy, the Natural History Museum's Diplodocus, which is on its way to the British Art Show 10, which stays on display until January 2027. So if you're heading in for one, you've got the other right there.

Ambrose has been exhibiting across Europe and North America since 1994, and in 2020 he was noted as the first motoring artist to use a 3D printer. Beyond the gallery, he makes automotive-inspired work for brands and collectors worldwide, and bespoke trophies for events like the Mille Miglia, The Quail, the International Historic Motoring Awards and Porsche Club Motorsport. This show brings that focus on cars back home to the region's own motoring heritage.

The exhibition runs from 10.00am to 4.00pm during the gallery's opening hours, and entry is included with admission to The Herbert. It's on from Tuesday 10 November until Saturday 5 December, so there's plenty of time to catch it.