When Apollo asked the artist Stanley Donwood whether he worked well with Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke, he replied, ‘I hope so. We’ve been collaborating for about 30 years; most of it seemed to make at least some sort of sense at the time.’ This exhibition at the Ashmolean brings together some 180 objects from across their three-decade partnership (6 August–11 January 2026). Donwood and Yorke met in the 1980s as undergraduates at the University of Exeter, where they were both studying English literature and fine art, and their partnership began in earnest when Donwood designed the cover of Radiohead’s single ‘My Iron Lung’ (1994). Since then Donwood has designed all of the band’s album covers, by far the most recognisable objects in this exhibition, though his collaboration with Yorke goes beyond Radiohead’s discography: the show includes etchings and digital compositions as well as colourful landscapes that the two men made together at Yorke’s home during the Covid pandemic.
Find out more from the Ashmolean’s website.
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