The New Art Gallery Walsall

Collections Development Policy

Museum: The New Art Gallery Walsall

Governing Body: Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council

Date Approved: February 2014

Date of Policy Review: February 2019

Museum’s Statement of Purpose

Our mission is to collect, present and interpret historic and contemporary art in innovative and challenging ways that encourage the engagement and enjoyment of existing and future audiences.

Our purpose is to provide a cultural and educational service of the very highest quality and to act as a focus for civic pride and community identity for the people of Walsall and the region.

Our artistic programming, the development of our collections and our approaches to access, engagement and interpretation explore new models of how art galleries can contribute to people’s lives.

As an art gallery of outstanding excellence, we seek to disseminate our work as widely as possible, thus drawing national and international attention to Walsall and its achievements.

Overview of Collections

The following collections exist at the museum and are the starting point for any

collecting policy.

The Garman Ryan Collection

The Garman Ryan Epstein Collection

The Epstein Collection Archive

The Permanent Art Collection (Including the Contemporary Collecting Policy)

The Special Collection Scheme

The Art Fund International Collection

The Artists’ Publications Collection

The Gallery History Archive

The Collections Information Archive

The Garman Ryan Collection

The New Art GalleryWalsall is the home of the distinguished Garman Ryan Collection, which was donated to the Borough in 1973 by Lady Kathleen Epstein. It consists of 365 works of art, over a third of them being three-dimensional works from many different cultures and periods around the world. It also contains a wide-ranging body of the work of Sir Jacob Epstein and many significant works by European artists such as Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, Turner, Constable,Modigliani and Gaudier Brzeska, represented in prints, sketches and drawings as well as paintings and sculptures. The Garman Ryan Collection is a closed collection and no works will be added to it. Future collecting in relation to this collection will be made through the Garman Ryan Epstein Collection and Permanent Collection.

The Garman Ryan Epstein Collection

The Garman Ryan Epstein Collection was formed in 1996 with the intention of creating a partner collection to the Garman Ryan Collection,which is a closed collection. The Garman Ryan Epstein Collection contains around 200 artworks by artists closely related to the Garman Ryan Collection, in particular works by Sir Jacob Epstein, which have been purchased, bequeathed or donated to The New Art Gallery Walsall.

The Epstein Collection Archive

The archive was instigated in 1996 as a partner collection to the Garman Ryan Collection and the Garman Ryan Epstein Collection. It consists of photographs, letters, catalogues, books, tapes, videos and other digitally stored material relating to Sir Jacob Epstein, Kathleen Garman and their family and friends. It also contains material relating to artists whose work is represented in the Garman Ryan Collection. The archive is intended to be a major resource for anyone wishing to research the above areas and acts as a secure repository with appropriate legal restrictions for items deposited by donors and lenders. It also supports the development of interpretation around the Garman Ryan Collection and the work of Sir Jacob Epstein.

The Permanent Art Collection (Including the Contemporary Collecting Policy)
The Permanent Art Collection consists of artworks collected since the foundation of Walsall Museum and Art Gallery in 1892. The art collection was separated from the history collection and the local archive collection in 1976. The Permanent Art Collection comprises over 3000 artworks in many different media from the 19th, 20thand 21stcenturies. The Permanent Collection artworks have been collected through a series of donations, bequests and purchases. Around a fifth of the collection comprises of topographical works of the Borough of Walsall and its people from different periods. Since the early 1970s the Art Gallery has also collected contemporary art works in all media, many of which relate to the themes of the Garman Ryan Collection or are by local artists or artists who have exhibited at the Gallery. The Contemporary Art Society Special Collection Scheme has enabled the collection of contemporary art works with a sculptural focus. The New Art Gallery Walsall is one of a handful of purpose built galleries this century; this has placed it in a unique position for a fresh approach to its collections through this scheme. The New Art Gallery Walsall aims to continue to collect contemporary artworks building upon the legacy of the Special Collection Scheme, both drawing upon the strengths of the existing collections and placing work within the context of the new gallery.

The Special Collection Scheme

The Contemporary Art Society Special Collection Schemeran between 1998-2004 funded by the arts lottery. It supported the acquisition by museums of contemporary art and crafts across the country. In Walsall, the collecting policy enabled works to be collected, which demonstrated the diversity of contemporary sculpture and within the context of a unique new building. Through this scheme, Walsall has been able to add to its collections key works by Gavin Turk, Hew Locke, Mike Nelson, Yoshihiro Suda, Dorothy Cross, Laura Ford, Darren Lago, Estelle Thompson, Richard Woods, Yinka Shonibare and Rose Finn-Kelcey. The 25 works that comprise this collection transferred ownership to Walsall Council from the Contemporary Art Society in 2014.

The New Art Gallery Walsall is no longer collecting for this scheme. The Contemporary Collecting Policy replaces it.

The Collecting Policy of the Special Collection Scheme 1998-2004 was:-

The New Art Gallery Walsall will collect significant works by contemporary artists of national and international status, whose work broadly comes under the category of sculpture
We intend to select works in any media which are provocative and questioning and which challenge the idea of ‘sculpture’ - aiming to inspire debate and discussion about the nature of contemporary ‘sculpture’ with the audiences at The New Art Gallery Walsall
To select works which question the nature of collecting within the context of art galleries and art gallery collections and in particular addressing those at The New Art Gallery Walsall
We intend to consider works, which can make temporary interventions into the architecture, function and design of The New Art Gallery Walsall
We intend to both purchase and commission artists work, displaying each work in a solo exhibition or focused display of that artists work at The New Art Gallery Walsall
We will also aim to collect supporting artwork by each of the artists and interpretative material which relates to the purchase or commission ie: maquettes, drawings, sketch books, photographs and recorded interviews (audio and video). These will be a part of The Special Collection Scheme and create a permanent archive relating to the work.

The Art Fund International Collection

Jointly owned by The New Art Gallery Walsall and Birmingham Museums Trust, the Art Fund International Collection started in 2007 and was completed in 2012. This scheme gave grants of £1million to each of 5 regional consortiums. The New Art Gallery worked in partnership with Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and Ikon Gallery to form this collection of international significance for the West Midlands region. The collection aims to collect artworks by international artists whose work reflects the theme of ‘Metropolis’. Work collected includes: Gracia Toderi, Orbite Rosse (Red Orbits), 2009;Mohamed Bourouissa, 10prints selected from the Peripherique series, 2005-2007; Dayanita Singh, 18 works from the series Dream Villa, 2008; Miao Xiachun,Orbit, 2005; Jitish Kallat, Sweatopia (The Cry of the Gland) 2, 2010; and Aleksandra Mir,World Map of Social Networks, 2009.

The Artists’ Publications Collection

The Artists’ Publications Collection was formally established in 2009 as a special collection of The New Art Gallery Walsall’s Art Library. The collection contains publications that have been wholly or primarily designed, produced or self-published by artists. Publications in this context are defined as books, pamphlets, newspapers, posters, maps and other ephemera that have been produced in multiple editions.

The Gallery History Archive

The Gallery History Archive was formally established as a distinct collection within The New Art Gallery Walsall Archive in 2011 and seeks to record the history of the art gallery in Walsall – containing archival documentation from the Walsall Museum and Art Gallery andthe establishment of The New Art Gallery Walsall, including continuing documentary evidence of the collection, exhibition and education programmes, copies of interpretation and marketing materials.

Collections Information Archive

The New Art Gallery Walsall will also collect information related to artworks and artists featuring in The Garman Ryan Collection, The Garman Ryan Epstein Collection and

The Permanent Collection (including the Contemporary Collecting Policy), for example relevant articles, images, catalogues, biographical information and other ephemera. This material will be contained in a Collections Information Archive, filed under the relevant art collections accessioning systems.

3. Themes and Priorities for Future Collecting

The Garman Ryan Collection

This is a closed collection.(No works are disposed of from this gift and no works may be added to it).

The Garman Ryan Epstein Collection – Collecting Policy
The New Art Gallery Walsall will seek to acquire for the Garman Ryan Epstein Collection:

Work by Sir Jacob Epstein which shows aspects of his practice that are not adequately represented in the Garman Ryan Collection
Work which is of particular family interest, reflecting the intimate family nature of the Garman Ryan Collection
Work of particular relevance for educational and interpretative strategies in the Garman Ryan Collection
Other work by friends and family of Sir Jacob Epstein and Lady Kathleen Epstein, including the work of Lucian Freud, Theodore Garman, Sally Ryan, Henri Gaudier Brzeska, Amedeo Modigliani, Eric Gill, Ralph Brown, Fritz Muhsan, Ambrose McEvoy, Augustus John and Matthew Smith
Other work by artists not represented in the Garman Ryan Collection but whose work has a particular relationship to Sir Jacob Epstein’s, including the work of Henry Moore, Elizabeth Frink, Constantin Brancusi and Frank Dobson
Work by artists whose work is already in the Garman Ryan Collection, for example Auguste Rodin and Edgar Degas

The Epstein Collection Archive – Collecting Policy
The New Art Gallery Walsall will seek to acquire:

Material in any media and from any period of time relating to the Garman Ryan Collection, Lady Kathleen Epstein, Sally Ryan, Sir Jacob Epstein and their friends and families in line with the code of practice on Archives for Museums in the United Kingdom

Material in any media and from any period of time related to the artists whose work is represented in the Garman Ryan Collection and the Garman Ryan Epstein Collection in line with the code of practice on Archives for Museums in the United Kingdom

The Permanent Art Collection – Collecting Policy
The New Art Gallery Walsall will seek to acquire works for the Permanent Art Collection according to the following criteria:

Work from any period which represents and reflects Walsall Borough and its people, including the industrial past and present

Within the context of cultural diversity, work by artists of any period from cultural groups under-represented in the collections

Work by artists who have exhibited at The New Art Gallery Walsall

Work from any period, which has close reference to the themes of the Garman Ryan Collection, other than that already covered by the Garman Ryan Epstein Collection

The Permanent Art Collection - Contemporary Collecting Policy

Building on the legacy of the Special Collection Scheme and including the Art Fund International Collection, The New Art Gallery Walsall will:

Seek to acquire significant contemporary artworks by both emerging artists and artists of national and international status (For the purposes of this policy we define contemporary as created within the last ten years)

Select works in any media, which are provocative and questioning, aiming to inspire debate and discussion about the nature of contemporary art with the audiences at The New Art Gallery Walsall

Select works, which reflect the urban environment of The New Art Gallery Walsall, the Black Country and the West Midlands

Select works, which can make temporary interventions into the architecture, function and design of The New Art Gallery Walsall

To both purchase existing work and commission artist’s work for the collections

Aim to collect where relevant supporting artwork, documentation and interpretative material that relates to the purchase or commission, for example maquettes, drawings, sketchbooks, photographs and recorded interviews (audio and video)

Artists’ Publications Collection - Collecting Policy

The New Art Gallery Walsall will seek to acquire:

Publications by practicing artists in the region, reflecting their interests and concerns

Publications by artists in the Garman Ryan Collection, the Garman Ryan Epstein Collection and the Permanent Collection

Publications by artists who have exhibited at The New Art Gallery Walsall

Publications that reflect current trends in artists’ books production

The Artists’ Publications Collection will not include livres d’artiste and illustrated books – these will be acquired in accordance with the Archive Collections policies or in the Library’s Rare Books Collection. Unique book works will be acquired in accordance with the Permanent and Garman Ryan Epstein Collection policies.

The GalleryHistory Archive - Collecting Policy

The New Art Gallery Walsall will seek to acquire, in any media:

Material relating to the institutional operation of Walsall Museum and Art Gallery (pre-2000) and The New Art Gallery Walsall (post-2000) (This can include all relevant administrative material)

Material relating to the project to design and build The New Art Gallery Walsall

Press material relating to Walsall Museum and Art Gallery (pre-2000) and The New Art Gallery Walsall (post-2000)

Material from past exhibitions held at Walsall Museum and Art Gallery (pre-2000) and The New Art Gallery Walsall (post-2000)

Material from past educational activities held at Walsall Museum and Art Gallery (pre-2000) and The New Art Gallery Walsall (post-2000)

Supporting information relating to The Garman Ryan Collection, The Garman Ryan Epstein Collection, The Epstein Archive and The Permanent Collection

Themes and Priorities for Rationalisation and Disposal

Responsible, curatorially motivated disposal takes place as part of a museum’s long-term collection policy, in order to increase public benefit derived from museum collections.

The main priorities for rationalisation and disposal of any items in The New Art Gallery Walsall Collections we would envisage to be:

the transferral ofitems which are duplicated and there is another exact or like example in our collections
the transferral of objects which may not fit within our collecting policy and are deemed to be of more benefit to another museum’s collection
items which are damaged beyond repair, for example through insect infestation, where the item is no longer fit for purpose and the only option would be to dispose

Limitations on Collecting

The museum recognises its responsibility, in acquiring additions to its collections, to ensure that care of collections, documentation arrangements and use of collections will meet the requirements of the Accreditation Standard. It will take into account limitations on collecting imposed by such factors as inadequate staffing, storage and care of collection arrangements.

6. Collecting Policies of other Museums

The museum will take account of the collecting policies of other museums and other organisations collecting in the same or related areas or subject fields. It will consult with these organisations where conflicts of interest may arise or to define areas of specialisms, in order to avoid unnecessary duplication and waste of resources.

Specific reference is made to the following museums in Walsall: the Walsall Museum, the Leather Museum and the Local History Centre

Specific reference is made to the policies of other regional museums: Birmingham, Dudley, Sandwell and Wolverhampton

Specific reference is made also to other national collections, in particular: The Henry Moore Centre for the Study of Sculpture and Tate Britain

7. Policy Review Procedure

The Collections Development Policy will be published and reviewed from time to time, at least once every five years. The date when the policy is next due for review is noted above.

Arts Council England will be notified of any changes to the Collections Development Policy and the implications of any such changes for the future of existing collections.

8. Acquisitions Not Covered by the Policy

Acquisitions outside the current stated policy will only be made in very exceptional circumstances, and then only after proper consideration by the governing body of the museum itself, having regard to the interests of other museums.

9. Acquisition Procedures

a. The museum will exercise due diligence and make every effort not to acquire, whether by purchase, gift, bequest or exchange, any object or specimen unless the governing body or responsible officer is satisfied that the museum can acquire a valid title to the item in question.

b. In particular, the museum will not acquire any object or specimen unless it is satisfied that the object or specimen has not been acquired in, or exported from, its country of origin (or any intermediate country in which it may have been legally owned) in violation of that country’s laws. (For the purposes of this paragraph ‘country of origin’ includes the United Kingdom).