The Art Fund has transferred its collection of 57 Italian Baroque paintings into the permanent collections of six museums and galleries – under the condition that they do not sell the works or start to charge admission.
The collection was put together over several decades by the art historian and heir to the Guinness Mahon fortune, Denis Mahon. He announced the collection would pass into public hands in 1999, and on his death in 2011 stewardship of the artworks transferred to the Art Fund with instructions that they be put on permanent public display in specific locations across the country.
The transfer of the works has now completed, with 25 going to the National Gallery in London; 12 to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford; eight to the Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh; six to the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge; five to Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery; and one to Temple Newsam House in Leeds.
Stephen Deuchar, director of the Art Fund, said: “Denis Mahon was a life-long supporter of the Art Fund and shared our fundamental commitment to widening free public access to art. His vision as an art collector was extraordinary, as was his determination that his collection should ultimately be on public display.
“It is an enormous honour for the Art Fund to have been entrusted with his private collection and to oversee its transfer into the permanent collections of these museums and galleries across the UK.”
Mahon campaigned in support of free admission to national museums, and against the selling of works of art from museums’ permanent collections.
Under the terms of the transfer of Mahon’s collection into public ownership, the Art Fund's trustees, together with trustees of the Sir Denis Mahon Charitable Trust, reserve the right to withdraw works from museums if they breach either of these two principles.
John Leighton, director general of the National Galleries of Scotland, said: “[Mahon] was an inspirational and passionate collector who supported the National Galleries of Scotland over many years.
"His generous and careful choice of paintings was made in order to complement other works within the Scottish national collection and we are extremely grateful that we are now able to keep these key works of art on permanent display to the Scottish public.”
Art Fund Collect
Meanwhile, the Art Fund yesterday launched the sixth and final year of its £75,000 contemporary craft fund.
Successful applicants to the scheme will be able to acquire works at Collect 2013, the international craft exposition taking place at the Saatchi Gallery in May. The scheme was set up by the Art Fund and the Craft Council in 2008 to boost public collections of contemporary craft and develop curatorial expertise and networks within the museum sector.
Following the open application process, shortlisted curators will be invited to visit the exposition on 9 May and will have until the 1pm the following day to make a selection and submit their case to an Art Fund committee, which will decide who should win a share of the £75,000 funding pot.
Last year, five museums received money from the fund to acquire new craft works for their collections.
The collection was put together over several decades by the art historian and heir to the Guinness Mahon fortune, Denis Mahon. He announced the collection would pass into public hands in 1999, and on his death in 2011 stewardship of the artworks transferred to the Art Fund with instructions that they be put on permanent public display in specific locations across the country.
The transfer of the works has now completed, with 25 going to the National Gallery in London; 12 to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford; eight to the Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh; six to the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge; five to Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery; and one to Temple Newsam House in Leeds.
Stephen Deuchar, director of the Art Fund, said: “Denis Mahon was a life-long supporter of the Art Fund and shared our fundamental commitment to widening free public access to art. His vision as an art collector was extraordinary, as was his determination that his collection should ultimately be on public display.
“It is an enormous honour for the Art Fund to have been entrusted with his private collection and to oversee its transfer into the permanent collections of these museums and galleries across the UK.”
Mahon campaigned in support of free admission to national museums, and against the selling of works of art from museums’ permanent collections.
Under the terms of the transfer of Mahon’s collection into public ownership, the Art Fund's trustees, together with trustees of the Sir Denis Mahon Charitable Trust, reserve the right to withdraw works from museums if they breach either of these two principles.
John Leighton, director general of the National Galleries of Scotland, said: “[Mahon] was an inspirational and passionate collector who supported the National Galleries of Scotland over many years.
"His generous and careful choice of paintings was made in order to complement other works within the Scottish national collection and we are extremely grateful that we are now able to keep these key works of art on permanent display to the Scottish public.”
Art Fund Collect
Meanwhile, the Art Fund yesterday launched the sixth and final year of its £75,000 contemporary craft fund.
Successful applicants to the scheme will be able to acquire works at Collect 2013, the international craft exposition taking place at the Saatchi Gallery in May. The scheme was set up by the Art Fund and the Craft Council in 2008 to boost public collections of contemporary craft and develop curatorial expertise and networks within the museum sector.
Following the open application process, shortlisted curators will be invited to visit the exposition on 9 May and will have until the 1pm the following day to make a selection and submit their case to an Art Fund committee, which will decide who should win a share of the £75,000 funding pot.
Last year, five museums received money from the fund to acquire new craft works for their collections.
