Latest news with #ArtFund
BBC News
16 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Copy of rare bird book collection worth £127k to stay in the UK
A collection of illustrated bird books worth £127,000 will now remain in the UK after the government intervened to stop the "national treasure" being sold original set of Henry Eeles Dresser's A History of the Birds of Europe was to be sold to a private collector in the US, until a "government export bar" allowed time for a group led by Manchester Museum to buy export ban was granted in 2024 after the Arts Council designated the books as national treasures for their "outstanding significance".Many of the drawings are of birds now believed to be extinct. Henry Eeles Dresser was born in Yorkshire, in 1838, and from a young age had an interest in birds, bird skins, and their trips to mainland Europe culminated in the nine-volume A History of the Birds of Europe, published between 1871 and is considered his most important work, and contains pictures of birds such as the Slender-billed curlew, which was the first-known bird to have disappeared from mainland Europe, North Africa and West Asia. Manchester Museum worked with The John Rylands Library to raise the money needed for the Fund, and Friends of the Nations' Libraries also contributed anthology will be reunited with Dresser's own bird specimens at the museum from Saturday 28 June until Sunday 25 January museum said the books highlights "the vital role historical records play in tracking biodiversity loss over time" and understanding the long-term impact of environmental change."Threats to the natural world and biodiversity have never been greater," said Esme Ward, director of Manchester Museum. Ms Ward added: "While this anthology has historical value, it also speaks to the urgent issues of the present."These books are breathtakingly beautiful and, by bringing them together with natural history collections, we believe they will not only provide scientific benefit but also capture the hearts of future ornithologists and conservationists."The volumes will be made accessible to researchers, students and the wider public at The John Rylands Library after they have been on display at the museum. "Henry Eeles Dresser was one of the most significant and influential ornithologists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries," said Christopher Pressler, Manchester University librarian and the director of The John Rylands Library."He was a producer of beautiful books which combined new scientific information with masterpieces of bird illustration, and a leading figure in scientific society." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Telegraph
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Battle to stop removal of wartime sculpture from Britain
A fundraising campaign has been launched to try and stop a wartime sculpture from being taken overseas by its new owner. After buying Sculpture with Colour (Oval Form) Pale Blue and Red by Dame Barbara Hepworth for more than £3.5 million in March last year, the purchaser wanted to take it out of Britain. Art Fund, a charity that raises funds to aid the acquisition of artworks for the nation, is spearheading a campaign to keep it from being taken from British shores. In November, the Government placed an export bar on the sculpture, which was created in Cornwall during the height of the Second World War. This gave institutions until Aug 27 to match the bid of the owner. Art Fund, which provides financial support for museums and the Hepworth Wakefield, has provided £750,000 of the amount needed, leaving £2.9 million still required. Eleanor Clayton, the senior curator at the Hepworth Wakefield and an expert on the sculptor, said the work needed to remain in the UK for the benefit of future generations. She said: 'The piece is one of the earliest and best examples of the wooden, string-carved sculptures that she became really well known for. 'There's only a handful of painted wooden strung works that she made during the whole of the 40s. And you can see this all in this work that she made whilst juggling childcare and domestic chores.' The sculpture was completed in 1943 after Hepworth moved to St Ives, Cornwall, with her family. She remained there until her death in 1975, aged 72. The artwork has always been in private ownership after being acquired directly from Hepworth by Helen Sutherland in 1944. It was shown as part of a Hepworth exhibition at Tate Britain in 2015. Campaigners now hope that the piece can be purchased and permanently kept on public display. Artists and creatives including Jonathan Anderson, Richard Deacon, Katy Hessel, Sir Anish Kapoor, Veronica Ryan, Joanna Scanlan and Dame Rachel Whiteread have backed the appeal. Jenny Waldman, the director of Art Fund, said: 'These campaigns are very rare. Help us to save an absolutely key work of art for the nation. 'It will be enjoyed, researched and be the source of inspiration for generations to come. Please join us in helping to save this remarkable work for everyone to enjoy.'
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gallery raising £3.8m for Hepworth 'masterpiece'
A West Yorkshire art gallery is attempting to raise sufficient funds to purchase a Dame Barbara Hepworth sculpture "for the nation". The Hepworth Wakefield wants to buy Sculpture With Colour (Oval Form) Pale Blue And Red, created in the 1940s, in order for it to go on permanent public display. The oval-shaped piece, which sold for more than £3.5m in 2024, was later given a temporary export bar preventing it from leaving the country - providing a UK gallery the chance to acquire it. The Art Fund charity has offered £750,000 towards the cost, however a further £2.9m is required before a 27 August deadline. If the target was not met, the sculpture by the Wakefield-born artist would go to a private buyer and be taken overseas. The appeal is backed by artists and creatives including Sir Antony Gormley, Anish Kapoor, Jonathan Anderson, Richard Deacon, Katy Hessel, Veronica Ryan, Joanna Scanlan and Dame Rachel Whiteread. The piece is one of only a handful of wooden carvings made by the artist during the 1940s, when she lived in St Ives, Cornwall, with her young family. If bought, the Hepworth said it would be a "star piece" in its collection. The gallery also planned to lend it to other museums and galleries across the UK, "opening up access for people everywhere". Simon Wallis, gallery director, said: "We established The Hepworth Wakefield 14 years ago to celebrate, explore and build on Barbara Hepworth's legacy. "This sculpture is the missing piece, a masterpiece which deserves to be on display in the town where Hepworth was born." Sir Antony said: "Barbara Hepworth's work remains a luminary example of both an engagement with modernism and a return to direct carving. "The opportunity for the museum named after her to acquire this important work is precious and should be supported." The gallery is home to Wakefield's art collection, including significant works by Dame Barbara but excluding her finished works from the 1940s. Jenny Waldman, Art Fund director, said: "This rare and significant sculpture should be on public display in the UK now and for generations to come. "Every museum should have the power to secure landmark works of art but in today's challenging funding climate they simply cannot compete with the prices demanded on the open market." She added: "We applaud The Hepworth Wakefield for the huge ambition of their bid to bring this Hepworth home." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. Bid to stop Hepworth sculpture from leaving UK Hepworth sculpture set to sell for up to £3.2m Dame Barbara Hepworth sculpture sold for £3.5m The Hepworth Wakefield Art Fund
BBC News
05-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Wakefield gallery raising £3.8m for Barbara Hepworth 'masterpiece'
A West Yorkshire art gallery is attempting to raise sufficient funds to purchase a Dame Barbara Hepworth sculpture "for the nation".The Hepworth Wakefield wants to buy Sculpture With Colour (Oval Form) Pale Blue And Red, created in the 1940s, in order for it to go on permanent public oval-shaped piece, which sold for more than £3.5m in 2024, was later given a temporary export bar preventing it from leaving the country - providing a UK gallery the chance to acquire it. The Art Fund charity has offered £750,000 towards the cost, however a further £2.9m is required before a 27 August deadline. If the target was not met, the sculpture by the Wakefield-born artist would go to a private buyer and be taken appeal is backed by artists and creatives including Sir Antony Gormley, Anish Kapoor, Jonathan Anderson, Richard Deacon, Katy Hessel, Veronica Ryan, Joanna Scanlan and Dame Rachel piece is one of only a handful of wooden carvings made by the artist during the 1940s, when she lived in St Ives, Cornwall, with her young family. If bought, the Hepworth said it would be a "star piece" in its gallery also planned to lend it to other museums and galleries across the UK, "opening up access for people everywhere".Simon Wallis, gallery director, said: "We established The Hepworth Wakefield 14 years ago to celebrate, explore and build on Barbara Hepworth's legacy. "This sculpture is the missing piece, a masterpiece which deserves to be on display in the town where Hepworth was born." Sir Antony said: "Barbara Hepworth's work remains a luminary example of both an engagement with modernism and a return to direct carving."The opportunity for the museum named after her to acquire this important work is precious and should be supported."The gallery is home to Wakefield's art collection, including significant works by Dame Barbara but excluding her finished works from the Waldman, Art Fund director, said: "This rare and significant sculpture should be on public display in the UK now and for generations to come. "Every museum should have the power to secure landmark works of art but in today's challenging funding climate they simply cannot compete with the prices demanded on the open market." She added: "We applaud The Hepworth Wakefield for the huge ambition of their bid to bring this Hepworth home." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
The Guardian
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Art Fund to launch £5m project for UK museums to share their collections
A £5m project in which 20 museums will share their collections and expertise with each other could revolutionise the touring model in the UK. Going Places has been developed by Art Fund, the charity that secures art for public collections while providing financial support for museums, and will will involve local people when the nationwide project launches in May 2026. Billed as 'the UK's largest ever collaborative touring project', several institutions will work together on themed exhibitions, while 'pooling resources, sharing expertise and working together'. Museums that wanted to take part met up and underwent a 'matchmaking' process where they identified themes that interested them before splitting into groups. Museums Worcestershire, OnFife and Penlee House Gallery and Museum in Penzance will collaborate on exhibitions ingfocus on the female artists within their collections. Aberdeenshire Council, Armagh city, Banbridge and Craigavon borough council and the Open Eye Gallery in Liverpool take on the theme of 'journeys', encompassing 'migration and exile to the milestones, traditions and celebrations'. Blackwell Arts & Crafts House, Dovecot Studios, Tŷ Pawb and William Morris Gallery in Walthamstow, east London, reconsider the arts and crafts movement as 'a starting point to consider the politics, social values, and new possibilities emerging around contemporary forms of manufacturing'. Art Fund's chief executive, Jenny Waldman, said the project was a way for museums to reduce costs at a time when many are facing funding squeezes. Waldman said: 'Our museum directors surveys told us 63% of museums want to work with other museums on ambitious shows because they bring in new audiences but they are expensive.' An exhibition at the Bowes Museum in County Durham. Photograph: Bowes Museum 'People can see the extraordinary collections we've got across the UK, museums can reach new audience and it is done in a sustainable way.' Local communities will also have the chance to collaborate with curators and decide what will be included in exhibitions. Waldman said the scheme was similar to the highly praised initiative by the Manchester Museum when it involved the local south Asian community in giving input into its £15m galleries that opened in 2023. Waldman said: 'The Manchester Museum showed that if the items and stories are interesting to the communities who are making the exhibition then its likely they will be interesting to other people too.' skip past newsletter promotion Sign up to The Guide Get our weekly pop culture email, free in your inbox every Friday Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion Going Places is funded by grants, with £2.86m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and £1.5m from the Julia Rausing Trust, the philanthropic organisation. Simon Fourmy, director of the Julia Rausing Trust, said the project represented an 'innovative collaborative approach in the creation of touring exhibitions', while National Lottery Heritage Fund chief executive, Eilish McGuinness, said Going Places allowed museums to 'share diverse and much-loved collections in a unique and dynamic way'. Last week the shortlist for the Art Fund museum of the year 2025 prize was revealed. It featured museums from all four nations of the UK, including Beamish in County Durham, Chapter in Cardiff, Compton Verney in Warwickshire, the Golden Thread Gallery in Belfast and Perth Museum, home of the Stone of Destiny, in Scotland. A prize of £120,000 goes to the winner and an additional £15,000 is awarded to each of the finalists. Last year's winner was the Young V&A in Bethnal Green, east London.
