The Lost Surrealist: Henry Orlik's Quantum Revolution: Swindon

24 October 2025 - 14 March 2026

For 50 years, one of the most extraordinary bodies of work in contemporary art remained unseen in storage. Now 78 and unable to paint after a devastating stroke, Henry Orlik receives his first museum exhibition in his lifetime.

In a moment of extraordinary synchronicity with the 2025 UN International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, Museum & Art Swindon presents the first public museum exhibition of Henry Orlik, an artist who was visualising quantum consciousness through paint over 45 years ago, decades before quantum computing entered mainstream discourse.
Henry Orlik, born as a displaced person in 1947, spent over forty years developing what he calls “quantum painting” in complete isolation. While the art establishment moved on without him, he quietly revolutionised how paint could capture the vibrating energy of thought itself. Drawing from quantum physics, he understood that matter at its smallest level exists in constant vibration. His paintings make this invisible energy visible, creating surfaces that pulse with life even when depicting personal struggles. Each mark represents what he calls “qi: a cosmic spirit that vitalises all things.”
Following sell-out exhibitions in London and Marlborough in 2024 and a major show in New York in 2025, which garnered visitors from all corners of the world and coverage in The New Yorker, The Guardian, ARTnews, Smithsonian Magazine, and the BBC, Orlik’s incredible work returns to Swindon for his first institutional public exhibition.

This truly remarkable and once-in-a-lifetime exhibition at Swindon Art Museum is made possible by the generosity of the collectors who are loaning these incredible works, recognising the unique genius of Henry Orlik, the artist and visionary, and respecting their own roles as both owners and custodians of these exceptional pieces.
Visitor Information

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24 Oct 2025 - 14 Mar 2026

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Opening times

Tuesday to Saturday 10:30am - 4:30pm

Monday and Sunday Closed

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Museum & Art Swindon

Euclid St

Swindon

SN1 2JH
Exhibition Catalogue £25.00

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