Contemporary Art Society Menu

Our Work With Museums

We play a unique role in the formation of public collections of contemporary art in this country.

 

Each year, the Contemporary Art Society donates works of modern and contemporary art to 70 museums and public galleries in the UK, which subscribe to us as Museum Members.

Claudette Johnson

Acquisition Schemes

The Fine Art and Craft Acquisitions Schemes were initiated in 2008 and have been developed to enable us to work closely with collections curators and other museum and gallery staff as we acquire new works with them for their collections.

Anthony Caro, Early One Morning, 1962. Presented to Tate by the Contemporary Art Society, 1965

Future Fund

A gift in your Will supports the Future Fund, ensuring we can buy great art for museums for years to come.
Paul Morrison Asplenium (2010) Acrylic paint, 24 carat gold leaf. Courtesy the artist and South London Gallery

Donated Works

Since 1910, the Contemporary Art Society has gifted over 8,000 works to public collections across the UK and Commonwealth.

Special Projects
Current Project

Griffin Award

Call for Applications Download Application form The Griffin Award is designed to support the acquisition or commission of an important work in a craft medium. The work acquired should play…
Ibrahim Mahama ABULAI REHI LOCATION 2019
Current Project

CAS Artist Award at Frieze

Call for Applications: Download Application Form The Collections Fund at Frieze is a purchase prize, designed to acquire major work by living artists, addressing some of the most pressing issues…
Aliza Nisenbaum, 'Susan, Aarti, Keerthana and Princess, Sunday in Brooklyn', 2018. Image courtesy the artist and Mary Mary, Glasgow
Current Project

Valeria Napoleone XX Contemporary Art Society

Aliza Nisenbaum, ‘Susan, Aarti, Keerthana and Princess, Sunday in Brooklyn’, 2018. Image courtesy the artist and Mary Mary, Glasgow
'untitled: venicecolumns; 2016-2017', 2016-17. Presented to Leeds Art Gallery by the Contemporary Art Society through a special partnership with the Henry Moore Foundation, supported by Cathy Wills, 2018/19
Current Project

Partnership with Henry Moore Foundation and Cathy Wills

The Contemporary Art Society and Henry Moore Foundation have formed a partnership, generously supported by Cathy Wills, to donate contemporary sculpture to museums in the UK. The initial four-year scheme,…
Past Projects Archive

Museum Members

The Whitworth, The University of Manchester

Our Museum Members

Browse our Museum Membership.
Kassel curators

Our Curator’s CPD Programme

The Contemporary Art Society’s Curator CPD Programme membership provides arts professionals with a national and international perspective on public collection development.

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Donations of all sizes help sustain emerging artists at the beginning of their careers and ensure that their work has inspirational impact on audiences across the UK

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