Gifts & Bequests

In addition to works purchased through the annual acquisitions process, the Collection has also received gifts through donations made by artists and their estates.

Recent acquisitions through gifts include works by Phyllida Barlow, Paul Coldwell, Charlie Meecham, Ryan Mosley, Oscar Murillo and John Walter, as well as works gifted by the estates of Duncan Newton and Partou Zia. 

In 2017 Simon Starling’s Project for a Rift Valley Crossing (2015-16) was acquired for the Collection thanks to a bequest from the estate of Elfrida Louise Thornton.

The Arts Council Collection gratefully acknowledges the support of Art Fund and The Henry Moore Foundation, who have enabled the purchase of over 30 works since 2009, including major installations by Roger Hiorns, Seizure (2008/13), and Antony Gormley, Field for the British Isles (1993), as well as works by Keith Coventry, Jeremy Deller, Caragh Thuring, Wolfgang Tillmans and Alison Watt.  

 


 

"When the Arts Council Collection acquired my painting, Northern Ritual in 2012, they were the first public institution to invest in my work. As part of an Arts Council Collection touring exhibition it was then seen by over 185,000 people. I wanted to show how important this milestone was to me as an artist and chose to gift two paintings to the Arts Council: Collection - Bones of Time (2013) and James (2016).”

Ryan Mosely | Artist


All enquiries concerning gifts to the Collection should be directed to Deborah Smith, Director, Arts Council Collection.

Below you will find our acquisitions brochures from 2004–20.

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Acquisitions Brochures 2004 – 2020

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The Arts Council Collection is the UK's most widely seen collection of modern and contemporary art.

With more than 8,000 works by over 2,000 artists, it can be seen in exhibitions and public displays across the country and beyond. This website offers unprecedented access to the Collection, and information about each work can be found on this site.