The gallery was established in June 1962 with the declaration that the contemporary art being produced in Wales was as good as any to be found in the United Kingdom. These early exhibitions were notable, not just for their high standard, but for their radical content and the gallery provided a much-needed venue for contemporary artists in Wales to exhibit their work. The gallery also took major exhibitions of Welsh Art to England and to Washington DC.

The gallery at 61 Wind Street soon became important as a meeting place for writers and composers as well as artists. Kingsley Amis, Vernon Watkins, Wynford Vaughan-Thomas and composer Daniel Jones were all regular visitors.

In 1969, under the stewardship of two of the founding members, Brenda Bloxam and Dorothy Thomas, the name was changed from Dillwyn Gallery to Attic Gallery (the result of a move upstairs in the same building!). The same stable of artists was retained. Space was more limited so for several years the gallery ran a series of successful exhibitions in the main hall of Swansea University Library. Many of these shows were linked to the Swansea Festival of Music and Arts.

In 1986, Brenda Bloxam was joined by her daughter Alexandra Roe and son-in-law, David Roe. Together, they reacquired the original gallery rooms in 61 Wind Street and set about expanding the exhibition programme. Brenda Bloxam retired in 1997.

In July 1998 the current directors, David and Alexandra Roe took the gallery to its current premises in the historic Old Maritime Quarter of the city. The move has been successful providing both easier access for customers and increased exhibition space for the artists.



There is a full and continuing exhibition programme with both single artist and mixed shows. Our "Exhibitions" section will be updated on a regular basis with details of these. The gallery also displays a large selection of graphic work from some of Britain's best printmakers. Mindful of artistic life beyond Wales the gallery will, as always, be making sorties away from its home base to maintain the variety and quality of work on display.