The 1960s was a tumultuous period of social unrest and change, seeing large-scale movements for racial and sexual equality, alongside student and anti-war protests and the hippie movement.

Emerging from this backdrop and challenging the status quo were Pop Art, Op Art and Fluxus and in association, happenings and performance art. In 1964, the ground-breaking exhibition The New Generation was held at London’s Whitechapel Art Gallery, featuring artists such as John Hoyland, Patrick Caulfield, David Hockney and Bridget Riley.