Past exhibitions
Past Exhibitions
Magdalene has hosted a wide range of exhibitions in the Robert Cripps Gallery, celebrating work by contemporary artists, alumni, Fellows, and collections from across the University and beyond.
Below is an archive of past exhibitions. These offer a snapshot of the variety of artistic, historical, and cultural work shown in the Gallery and reflect the creative life of the College.
Arthur Christopher Benson, Diarist
A Centenary Exhibition
March 2025
An exhibition exploring Arthur Christopher Benson’s life and legacy showcased his extraordinary diary, which comprises nearly five million words, his pivotal role in Magdalene’s transformation during the early 20th century, and his complex personality as a writer, master, and chronicler of Edwardian Cambridge.
Dreams of the Soul: Paintings, Prints and Textiles
January - March 2025
Exhibition of work by Ebu Estandar, an artist from Namasia, Taiwan, whose paintings, shaped by her experiences across Taiwan, Mexico and the UK, reflected her personal history, emotions and changing surroundings.
Line, Edge, Shadow: drawings and sculpture
October - December 2024
Exhibition exploring the acclaimed abstract sculptures and drawings of Nigel Hall RA, one of Britain’s most distinguished sculptors, whose geometric works in steel and bronze reflected the landscapes that inspired them through shifting light, shadow, and form.
George Mallory: Magdalene to the Mountain
June - September 2024
An exhibition reflecting on George Mallory’s life, drawing on Magdalene College Archive material. It began with his time at Magdalene, his academic, sporting, and cultural pursuits, then highlighted his WWI service through letters to his wife Ruth, revealing his character and the era’s social history.
The Perspective of the Medieval Scribe
January - February 2024
This exhibition of medieval manuscripts from the Pepys and Old Libraries explored medieval perspectives on the physical world, the supernatural, and the creative power of image and text in relation to nature, music, and science, offering visitors a rare opportunity to engage directly with these remarkable works.
The Personality and Legacy of Fox (1923-2023)
November - December 2023
Sir Cyril Fred Fox (1882–1967) was a Magdalene graduate whose work transformed archaeology. Marking the centenary of his 1923 book The Archaeology of the Cambridge Region, this exhibition also features his 1932 volume The Personality of Britain. These works pioneered the landscape perspective and explored the links between archaeology, geography, and environment, reflecting both Fox’s character and the enduring impact of his Cambridge research.
The World According to Jiří Kolář
September - October 2023
Jiří Kolář (1914-2002) was a prolific Czech artist, poet, writer, and translator. He expanded the boundaries of modern art by deconstructing the printed image and word. In reassembling and constructing images in collage, he created often absurd commentaries on modern life and the turmoil he faced as a political dissident in Communist Czechoslovakia.
Duncan Robinson In Memoriam
April 2023
Duncan Robinson CBE (1943 - 2022) was a leading authority on British art from the eighteenth century onwards. He was also a well-loved Master of Magdalene College, 2002 – 2012, a highly respected teacher and a witty, engaging and very warm man. This exhibition reflects aspects of his remarkably full life and the communities with which he was engaged, with particular reference to Magdalene.
Cross-Connections: Paintings by Ruth Rix
February - March 2023
A selection of Ruth Rix’s more recent work from sixty years of painting, shown alongside prints by her mother Helga Michie, a Kindertransport refugee from Vienna. Whilst the artists’ career trajectories were very different, the works shown together illustrate powerful resonances which throw light on each artist’s work.
Will Carter - Man of Letters
October - December 2022
Honorary Fellow Will Carter OBE (1977) was a master craftsman, printer, typographer, calligrapher, and carver of wood and slate, famed for seeing “the simplest way of doing something”. Regarded as one of the finest lettering artists of his generation, his work spanned calligraphy, printing, type design, and carving.
From Southwold to Alice Springs
September - October 2022
Selected works from the Collection of Robert Cripps offer a snapshot of paintings, drawings, and engravings he acquired over many years, reflecting his deep connection to East Anglia’s countryside and coast, and his commitment to supporting the indigenous art and artists of his adopted Australian home.
Fragile Planet - Watercolour Journeys into Wild Places
February - April 2022
A major exhibition of watercolours by Cornwall’s Tony Foster, portraying endangered landscapes from rainforests to deserts. Highlighting climate and human threats, it showcases 30 years of work in wild places, some now vanished, with key insights on each featured environment.
Everest 1921 - A Reconnaissance
November - December 2021
Exhibition of prints from the newly digitised negatives of the 1921 British Mount Everest Reconnaissance Expedition. This exhibition showcased a selection of platinum prints of the approaches to Mount Everest, and the mountain itself, taken in 1921 and reconstructed from newly digitised fragile silver nitrate negatives.