Wednesday, February 27, 2008
An internationally acclaimed collection of 725 works has been gifted by Anthony d’Offay and will be managed by National Galleries of Scotland and Tate. This is one of the largest and most imaginative gifts of art ever made to museums and galleries in Britain. The Scottish Government has contributed £10 million to securing the new modern art collection titled Artists Rooms, which takes the form of 50 rooms of contemporary art by 50 artists.
Next Spring / Summer 2009, a series of opening displays will be launched and staged at Tate galleries, the National Galleries of Scotland and a wide range of partner museums and galleries across the UK. Initial partners in Scotland include Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums, Glasgow Museums, Inverness Art Gallery and Museum, and The Pier Arts Centre, Orkney. The Scottish Museums Council (SMC) looks forward to working with Artists Rooms, National Galleries of Scotland and our other museums and galleries members across Scotland by encouraging wider involvement and the creation of new collaborative opportunities beyond 2009.
Joanne Orr, CEO SMC said “This is an amazing and wonderfully imaginative gift from Anthony d’Offray and we congratulate the National Galleries of Scotland and the Scottish Government on making this opportunity a reality. In 2009 we will see leading internationally acclaimed works of art reach out to new audiences throughout Scotland. We look forward to seeing this art get out there to attract and bring pleasure to the hundreds of thousands of people expected to visit in year one and to encourage and provide the inspiration to future Scottish artists from a very early age.”
For further information and press releases, please see the Scottish Government and National Galleries of Scotland pages.
