Collection Spotlight: Arts Council Collection

The Arts Council Collection is the most widely circulated national loan collection of modern and contemporary British art. Founded in 1946, the Collection reaches the broadest possible audience through long loans to public institutions, exhibition loans, touring exhibitions, as well as digital and print publications. Bridgeman Images has represented this collection for licensing since 2005 and has recently acquired over 100 new images, many of which feature works by Bridgeman Artists.

 

The Arts Council Collection supports artists in the UK through the purchase and display of their work, and safeguards it for future generations, using the highest possible standards of collection care. It is the most widely circulated of all of Britain’s national collections and can be seen in exhibitions in museums and galleries across the UK and abroad. Unique among national collections, the Arts Council Collection also lends to numerous public buildings across the UK, including schools, universities, hospitals and charitable associations.

The Arts Council Collection began when the Arts Council of Great Britain was founded in 1946. It took over a small group of paintings from the Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts (CEMA) and its aim was to promote and encourage the appreciation of contemporary art through touring exhibitions. The Collection has continued to grow, acquiring innovative works each year and circulating these as widely as possible.

There are now almost 8,000 works in the Collection, including paintings, sculptures, original works on paper, prints and moving image. Since 1986, the Arts Council Collection has been managed by the Southbank Centre, on behalf of Arts Council England. It is now based at the Southbank Centre, London, and at Longside, Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

Among the new works added to the collection on Bridgeman Images this year are pieces from Maggi Hambling, Gavin Turk, Paul Huxley and Euan Uglow, all of which are pictured on this page.

To see the full collection, click here.

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