Government Art Collection to open public display space

The Government Art Collection (GAC) is to open a dedicated public display space at its headquarters for the first time in its history.

The organisation, which was established in 1899, is a national collection of historic, modern and contemporary British art that is displayed in government buildings in the UK and around the world. The GAC will unveil its public Viewing Room at its central London headquarters next year. The space will be used to show new acquisitions and other artworks that reflect the work that the GAC is involved in. 

“We are incredibly committed to ensuring wider public access to the collections through our loans programme, partnerships and public programmes,” said GAC director Eliza Gluckman. “You can explore the collection in many different ways.”

The opening of the Viewing Room is part of a wider GAC aim to engage non-government audiences with the collection through partnerships and by participating in local, national and international events. This work includes a new collaboration with the charity Artists in Residence, which will connect artists that the GAC has commissioned with schools across the UK. This project will reach hundreds of school children in its first year, as well as supporting artists and developing opportunities for teachers.

The initiative is linked to the Robson Orr TenTen Award, which each year commissions a British artist to create a limited edition print that is shown in diplomatic buildings across the world. A small number are available to buy and the proceeds support the GAC’s acquisition fund.

This year’s Robson Orr TenTen Award was awarded to Rachel Whiteread. The award is presented by the GAC with the Outset Contemporary Art Fund and is sponsored by philanthropists Sybil Robson Orr and Matthew Orr.

Untitled (Bubble), Rachel Whiteread’s new lithograph revisits the circular motifs the artist first used in a print commission for the London 2012 Summer Olympics, which is also in the GAC collection. 

Born in Ilford in 1963, Whiteread has lived and worked for most of her life in East London. She has exhibited extensively in the UK and abroad, including a major touring show opening at Tate Britain in 2017. Whitread created the Monument for the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square in 2001.

The 10-year Robson Orr TenTen Award scheme was launched in 2018, with the first four awards given to Hurvin Anderson (2018), Tacita Dean (2019), Yinka Shonibare (2020) and Lubaina Himid (2021).

Items from the GAC collection can been seen in government buildings in more than 125 countries worldwide as well as at 10 & 11 Downing Street in London.

The Outset Contemporary Art Fund was established in 2003 to support art projects that engage the widest possible audiences.  The charity has a presence in nine countries, and has raised more than £14m worldwide to support the arts.