Acquisitions
Collecting Remit
Tate’s mission, as laid down by the 1992 Museums and Galleries Act, is to ‘increase the public's knowledge, understanding and appreciation of art’. As the national Collection of British art from 1500 and of international modern and contemporary art from 1900, Tate’s art Collection embraces all media, from painting, sculpture, drawing, and prints to photography, film, video, installations and performance.
Tate is also home to the Archive of British Art since 1900. This acquires material relating to British artists, art world figures, art galleries, societies and institutions, and its Collection includes manuscripts, correspondence, diaries, notebooks, sketchbooks and other artworks, photographs, press-cuttings, some printed ephemera and posters, film and sound recordings, and administrative records. The Archive also selectively collects material relating to earlier British art and modern international artists where closely associated with Tate’s art Collection. In addition, the Archive houses Tate's own records.
Sir Joshua Reynolds
Colonel Acland and Lord Sydney:
The Archers 1769 © Tate
Martin Kippenberger The
Eggman and his Commentator
1997 © Estate Martin Kippenberger/Galerie Gisela
Capitain, Cologne
Acquisition policy
Tate aims to acquire art works of outstanding quality in all the areas for which it is responsible. It seeks to expand the range and texture of the art Collection, and through its acquisitions to frame and address changing historical narratives. Particular attention is paid to developing a comprehensive representation of developments in British art. Tate’s collecting strategy is not medium specific, although attention is paid to building representative holdings of works in all relevant media.
Tate is committed to expand the geographical remit of its art Collection, and has recently launched important collecting initiatives in Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region.
Tate does not allocate more of its funds to either historic or contemporary works, as it needs flexibility in order to react to the market and what is available.
Acquisition procedures
Acquisitions are made according to priorities agreed by the Board of Trustees. All works of art proposed for acquisition are considered through the same procedures, whether proposed for purchase or as a gift or bequest. Potential acquisitions of contemporary art are considered by artists who have already made a significant contribution and have achieved national or international recognition.
Tate’s art Collection and archive Collection are built by purchase, gift and bequest, as well as through works allocated by the Government in lieu of tax. Tate’s collecting is funded by a grant provided by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and is also supported by individuals and by funding groups established by the museum. Tate also applies for additional funding for specific works from various charitable organisations.
All works of art proposed for acquisition are considered through the same procedures, whether proposed internally or from an external source. Initial proposals are discussed and assessed by teams of specialist curators, and their recommendations are considered by The Acquisitions Group. Final assessments are then made by the Director and the Collection Committee, with all decisions resting ultimately with the Board of Trustees. Archive acquisitions are also submitted to the Trustees for decision.
Acquisition funding
After discussion and assessment by specialist teams of curators, recommendations for acquisitions are considered by The Acquisitions Group, which includes the Director, the Directors of Tate Britain and Tate Modern, and the Heads of Collection for British and International art. Final assessment is made by The Collections Committee, which meets five times a year. The Committee comprises seven members, four of whom are Trustees. They make decisions on acquisitions below £250,000 which are then ratified by the Board of Trustees. For acquisitions above £250,000 the Committee makes recommendations to the Board of Trustees who take the final decision.
The Committee also oversees the Director’s purchase authority. The Director has the authority to spend up to £250,000. Should a purchase be necessary in between meetings of the Collection Committees and Trustees Board then the Director is able to commit funds without notifying either board in advance so long as the purchase is a work:
- on which urgent decisions were required, including but not limited to auction sales;
- which falls clearly within the Collection Strategy agreed by Trustees at the start of the year or;
- where action on the artist has been agreed in principle by the Collection Committee at an earlier meeting.
In addition the Director has the authority to spend up to £250,000 at auction but must seek the permission of the Chairman of the Collection Committee. Wherever possible decisions are ratified in advance of purchase and all purchases are reported to the Collection Committee and Board of Trustees.
Tate was first allocated an official purchase grant in 1946 of £2,000. By 1953-4 the purchase grant had risen to £6,250 and by the mid 1980s it had reached as high as £2.2 million. 1992-3 was the last year of the official purchase grant at which time it stood at £2 million.
Tate now spends around £1.5 million of its general funds each year on acquisitions. This sum is significantly increased as a result of grants from bodies such as the Heritage Lottery Fund and The Art Fund. Other funds for acquisitions are raised by Tate funding groups such as the Members the Patrons and the American Patrons for Tate, as well as smaller groups dedicated to specific causes such as Latin American Art and art from the Asia Pacific Region. Tate also receives many important acquisitions by gift or bequest from collectors and artists, as well as works of art accepted by the government in lieu of inheritance tax.
For example in the financial year to March 2006 the total value of purchases was £7.4 million. Of the £7.4 million, £1.6 million came from external public funds (primarily the Heritage Lottery Fund and the National Heritage Memorial Fund), £3.7 million from charitable funds connected to the Tate and £2.1 million from Tate’s general funds.
In 2005-6 Tate also received donations of works of art valued at £6.0 million.