With 'This Is What You Get', the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford presents the first major institutional exhibition dedicated to the visual world of Stanley Donwood – the pseudonym of British author and artist Dan Rickwood – and Thom Yorke, frontman of the band Radiohead.
Since 1994, Donwood has been instrumental in shaping the band’s distinctive visual identity. Together with Yorke, he has created not only album covers and artwork, but has also been deeply involved in the design and development of the band’s websites and digital presence.
The exhibition brings together more than 180 works from three decades of creative collaboration: Paintings, sketches, notes, and etchings that translate music into visual language.  And it’s a must for art directors, graphic designers, music lovers, and anyone who wants to understand how powerful visual concepts come to life.
The chronological display opens with a striking floor-to-ceiling wall of LP covers and moves through a series of artistic experiments – including the OK Computer (1997) visuals, created under the self-imposed rule of never using the “undo” button, and the Kid A (2000) landscapes, influenced by war photography.
The show explores not only the design process behind Radiohead’s iconic albums, but also Yorke’s solo projects and the recent work of his side project, The Smile. Canvases painted collaboratively during the pandemic reveal a new, vibrant visual language, complemented by large-scale tapestries woven in Brussels and displayed alongside the Ashmolean’s permanent collection.
‘This Is What You Get, the exhibition title, is a line taken from Radiohead’s well-known song Karma Police (1997). It represents Stanley and Thom’s creative approach: direct, honest, poetic, dark, and sometimes comedic. Showcasing their unique artistic collaboration, this exhibition offers fresh views on the art of album covers, exploring the complex relationships between visual art, music, and text.’ Dr Lena Fritsch, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Ashmolean Museum
'This Is What You Get' offers a rare glimpse behind the scenes of one of contemporary music’s most influential artistic partnerships – a fusion of sound, image, and concept that underscores Radiohead’s cultural impact far beyond their music.
More information ashmolean.org