Best in show

“I’ve always very much liked Bridget Riley’s work but this piece is extra special for me because it was the first major acquisition I made for the Government Art Collection.

From my spell at Stoke-on-Trent Museum and Gallery, I remembered that the artist produced a series of works based on the colours she saw while spending time in Egypt in the 1970s.

She had been quite taken by the fact that ancient Egyptian painters used a relatively limited palette yet still produced extraordinary colours for their decorative objects and wall paintings.

So I knew this piece could be the perfect painting for the British ambassador’s residence in the city.

It epitomises the collection’s role in placing works in government buildings around the world that have a connection with the host country while also promoting British art, history and culture.

The residence already had 19th-century views of Upper Egypt by David Roberts and Edward Lear, but this very contemporary representation of the region took pride of place in the large drawing room.

The picture came back to this country last April for exhibition; we were slightly concerned that there may be difficulty in transporting it because there was considerable unrest in Egypt at the time but it arrived safely.

It was returned after being selected by Sir John Sawers, the former British Ambassador in Cairo. Recalling his days in Egypt, he nominated it for the At Work section of the exhibition in which politicians and diplomats have chosen pieces that have enhanced their office and residences.

When I first approached him, Sir John was permanent representative to the UN; he very soon became head of MI6, which added another dimension for us.

The Government Art Collection has been in existence for 114 years and it now has around 13,500 works that range from 16th-century oil on panel through to the contemporary.

A two-year moratorium on purchases was imposed in 2011, but I am keeping my eyes open and making mental and written lists of works to look out for in the future.

Every original work the collection owns is now available to view online but when I joined in 1997, the collection wasn’t terribly well-known and I was very surprised by the lack of information about it.

Indeed, I remember having to go to Westminster Library at the time to find out about it for myself.”

Revealed: Government Art Collection runs at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery until 24 February 2013

Penny Johnson is the director of the Government Art Collection