It was named to honour Phil Mead, a Coventry businessman who worked to develop support for the University and for Warwick Arts Centre, and designed by Renton Howard Wood Levine. It is a large, L shaped space and presents three white cubes, which can be divided into three galleries. The Mead opened with two exhibitions: Surprises In Store: Fifty Years of British Art (featuring work by Barbara Hepworth, L. S. Lowry, Paul Nash, Bridget Riley and others), and an exhibition exploring stage designs and sculptures by Fernand Léger. Other artists who have had their work showcased by Mead over the years include sculptors Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, Henry Moore, Elisabeth Frink, David Nash, and Liliane Lijn; photographers Robert Doisneau, Bill Brandt, Fay Godwin, Willy Ronis, Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange; and printmaker Hokusai. Further exhibitions have highlighted the work of Steve McQueen, Peter Lanyon, Tom Phillips, Graham Sutherland, John Piper, Tracey Emin, Sarah Lucas, Hurvin Anderson, Grayson Perry, Douglas Gordon, Jeremy Deller, Joseph Beuys, Tacita Dean, and Olafur Eliasson. The gallery closed in 2018 as part of the Warwick Arts Centre 20:20 Project to redevelop the building, reopening in January 2022 with Rana Begum: Dappled Light. The Koan A distinctive feature outside of the arts centre is White Koan by American-born artist Liliane Lijn, which was purchased by the university in 1972. Taking the form of a rotating, conical construction with light-up elements, the piece combines industrial materials and artistic processes. Liliane is known for exploring the interaction between art, science, technology and eastern philosophy and mythology. A number of popular myths have grown around the piece since it was installed, including that it was the nose cone of a failed Apollo mission, and has several nightclubs underneath it. References External links Theatres in Coventry Music venues in the West Midlands (county) Cinemas in the West Midlands (county) Arts Arts centres in England Tourist attractions in the West Midlands (county) Art museums and galleries in the West Midlands (county) Buildings and structures in Coventry