Government Art Collection
Encyclopedia
The United Kingdom
's Government Art Collection (GAC) places works of art in major Government buildings in the UK and around the world to promote British art, culture and history.
Works are displayed in several hundred locations, including Downing Street
, ministerial offices and reception areas in Whitehall
, regional government offices in the UK, and diplomatic posts in locations as diverse as Paris
, Buenos Aires
, Washington DC and Beijing
.
Dating from 1898, the GAC now holds approximately 13,000 works of art by British artists in a variety of media including paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings, photographs, textiles and video works, from the sixteenth century to the present day.
Artists represented in the collection include John Constable
, William Hogarth
, Lucian Freud
, Paul Nash
, Barbara Hepworth
, Michael Landy
, Bridget Riley
, Emma Kay and Zarina Bhimji
.
The majority of the Collection is on display in Government buildings, with a small proportion at its premises in central London for conservation or awaiting re-display.
Wherever possible, the GAC lends works of art to exhibitions in public museums and galleries throughout the UK and abroad.
The GAC also collaborates with other departments, such as the Home Office
and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
, in commissioning works of art.
At the new Home Office
building in central London, the GAC commissioned a programme of public art by seven contemporary artists, and new commissions for its interior spaces. In 2005, new works of art were commissioned for the Deputy High Commissioner's offices in Chennai
(formerly Madras); and for the European Commission
Office at Brussels
. Commissions are currently planned for the Department for Constitutional Affairs
and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport
in London.
Works of art continue to be added to the Collection. Purchases and commissions are made under the guidance of the Advisory Committee on the Government Art Collection, whose members are appointed by the Secretary of State
. The Collection receives £551,000 each year from the government, a sum that includes an acquisition budget of £220,000.
and comprises five ex-officio members (the Directors of the National
, National Portrait and Tate
Galleries, as well as the Directors of the Government Art Collection and the Arts and Culture Directorate of DCMS), together with an additional four independent members.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's Government Art Collection (GAC) places works of art in major Government buildings in the UK and around the world to promote British art, culture and history.
Works are displayed in several hundred locations, including Downing Street
Downing Street
Downing Street in London, England has for over two hundred years housed the official residences of two of the most senior British cabinet ministers: the First Lord of the Treasury, an office now synonymous with that of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and the Second Lord of the Treasury, an...
, ministerial offices and reception areas in Whitehall
Whitehall
Whitehall is a road in Westminster, in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards Charing Cross at the southern end of Trafalgar Square...
, regional government offices in the UK, and diplomatic posts in locations as diverse as Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Washington DC and Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
.
Dating from 1898, the GAC now holds approximately 13,000 works of art by British artists in a variety of media including paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings, photographs, textiles and video works, from the sixteenth century to the present day.
Artists represented in the collection include John Constable
John Constable
John Constable was an English Romantic painter. Born in Suffolk, he is known principally for his landscape paintings of Dedham Vale, the area surrounding his home—now known as "Constable Country"—which he invested with an intensity of affection...
, William Hogarth
William Hogarth
William Hogarth was an English painter, printmaker, pictorial satirist, social critic and editorial cartoonist who has been credited with pioneering western sequential art. His work ranged from realistic portraiture to comic strip-like series of pictures called "modern moral subjects"...
, Lucian Freud
Lucian Freud
Lucian Michael Freud, OM, CH was a British painter. Known chiefly for his thickly impasted portrait and figure paintings, he was widely considered the pre-eminent British artist of his time...
, Paul Nash
Paul Nash (artist)
Paul Nash was a British landscape painter, surrealist and war artist, as well as a book-illustrator, writer and designer of applied art. He was the older brother of the artist John Nash.-Early life:...
, Barbara Hepworth
Barbara Hepworth
Dame Barbara Hepworth DBE was an English sculptor. Her work exemplifies Modernism, and with such contemporaries as Ivon Hitchens, Henry Moore, Ben Nicholson, Naum Gabo she helped to develop modern art in Britain.-Life and work:Jocelyn Barbara Hepworth was born on 10 January 1903 in Wakefield,...
, Michael Landy
Michael Landy
Michael Landy RA is one of the Young British Artists . He is best known for the performance piece installation Break Down , in which he destroyed all his possessions, and for the Art Bin project at the South London Gallery. On 29 May 2008 Landy was elected a member of the Royal Academy of Arts in...
, Bridget Riley
Bridget Riley
Bridget Louise Riley CH CBE is an English painter who is one of the foremost proponents of Op art.-Early life:...
, Emma Kay and Zarina Bhimji
Zarina Bhimji
Zarina Bhimji is a Ugandan Asian photographer and film maker, who was nominated for the Turner Prize in 2007.-Life and work:...
.
The majority of the Collection is on display in Government buildings, with a small proportion at its premises in central London for conservation or awaiting re-display.
Wherever possible, the GAC lends works of art to exhibitions in public museums and galleries throughout the UK and abroad.
The GAC also collaborates with other departments, such as the Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
, in commissioning works of art.
At the new Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
building in central London, the GAC commissioned a programme of public art by seven contemporary artists, and new commissions for its interior spaces. In 2005, new works of art were commissioned for the Deputy High Commissioner's offices in Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
(formerly Madras); and for the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
Office at Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. Commissions are currently planned for the Department for Constitutional Affairs
Department for Constitutional Affairs
The Department for Constitutional Affairs was a United Kingdom government department. Its creation was announced on 12 June 2003 with the intention of replacing the Lord Chancellor's Department...
and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is a department of the United Kingdom government, with responsibility for culture and sport in England, and some aspects of the media throughout the whole UK, such as broadcasting and internet....
in London.
Works of art continue to be added to the Collection. Purchases and commissions are made under the guidance of the Advisory Committee on the Government Art Collection, whose members are appointed by the Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
. The Collection receives £551,000 each year from the government, a sum that includes an acquisition budget of £220,000.
The Advisory Committee
The Advisory Committee is currently chaired by Julia SomervilleJulia Somerville
Julia Mary Fownes Somerville is a British television news anchor and reporter, who has worked for the BBC and ITN.-Education:...
and comprises five ex-officio members (the Directors of the National
National Gallery, London
The National Gallery is an art museum on Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The gallery is an exempt charity, and a non-departmental public body of the Department for Culture, Media...
, National Portrait and Tate
Tate Gallery
The Tate is an institution that houses the United Kingdom's national collection of British Art, and International Modern and Contemporary Art...
Galleries, as well as the Directors of the Government Art Collection and the Arts and Culture Directorate of DCMS), together with an additional four independent members.