External exhibition - Timeless and Classic: Elizabeth, Queen and Icon

19 January – 23 December 2008

Sculptor Arnold Machin's classic portrait of Queen Elizabeth II has been reproduced on stamps more than 200 billion times. The Machin Head is internationally recognised as an icon of monarchy and of Britain, but its production was prompted by a 1960s revolution in stamp design instigated by Tony Benn, then Postmaster General. This exhibition traces the development of a timeless image, through photographs, drawings, unadopted designs and the plaster cast of the head itself.

The Timeless and Classic exhibition has been adapted from the acclaimed 2007 exhibition at the Royal College of Art, which marked the 40th anniversary of the Machin design. The BPMA is delighted to present it at The Wedgwood Visitor Centre.

Machin was born in Stoke-on-Trent in 1911, and was employed as an apprentice china painter for Minton at the age of fourteen. After studying at the Royal College of Art in London, he returned to Stoke as head of the local art school, and eventually became a designer at Wedgwood.

Wedgwood will be celebrating its own 250th anniversary in 2009 and will open a brand new museum in August 2008.

BPMA Philatelic Curator Douglas Muir's book, A Timeless Classic: The evolution of Machin's icon is available from our online shop.

Go to the online equivalent of this exhibition

Event details	External exhibition - Timeless and Classic: Elizabeth, Queen and Icon
Event type	Exhibition
Location	The Wedgwood Visitor Centre, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
Date	19 January - 23 December 2008
Time	Weekdays 9.00 am - 5.00 pm, weekends 10.00 am - 5.00 pm
Price	Free: Timeless and Classic will be on display in the reception area of the Visitor Centre. See The Wedgwood Visitor Centre website for admission prices to the centre itself.
Pre-booking required?	No
Suitable for?	Anyone interested in stamp design
Related events in London	Exhibition: Lions, Leopards, Unicorns and Dragons: The first Regional stamps Exhibition: A Timeless Classic: The evolution of Machin's icon Talk: Celebrating the Regions Talk: 50 years of Country Definitives Family Event: Philatelic Fun

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