Acquisition Schemes

Images courtesy the artist and MONITOR, Rome; Stigter van Doesburg, Amsterdam; and Matt’s Gallery, London

Claudette Johnson

Paul Morrison Asplenium (2010) Acrylic paint, 24 carat gold leaf. Courtesy the artist and South London Gallery

Andrea Büttner, 'Vogelpredigt (sermon to the birds) (2010)', Woodcut, diptych, 117 x 180 cm. © Andrea Büttner. Photo: Thor Brødreskift.

Marvin Gaye Chetwynd Home Made Tasers (2011) Studio 231, New Museum, New York, 26 October 2011 – 1 January 2012 . Image © the artist. Courtesy Sadie Coles HQ, London .

Natalie Dower Red Flyer (1989) Oil paint on wood 303 x 410cm. Courtesy the Mead Gallery, University of Warwick Art Collection .

Michael Eden Cyan Bloom (2014) 3D printed in high-quality nylon with unique mineral soft coating 22 x 19cm Edition 18/24.

Grant Aston Radioactivitat (2013) Fired clay 65 x 55 x 60cm. © Grant Aston Photo: Michael Harvey .

Ben Rivers Ah, Liberty! (2008) 16mm anamorphic / B&W / sound 20 minutes. Images from Ah Liberty! (2008) courtesy the artist and Kate MacGarry, London.

Scott’s Cumbrian Blue(s) – Wallendorf Porcelain Tile with 4 Porcelain Summer Tree ‘Shots’ – Porcelain (2013) In-glaze decals and gold lustre 25 x 5 x 20cm. Image ©Birmingham Museums Trust

Mirjam Hiller Brooch firassia (2009) Powder-coated stainless steel. Image ©Birmingham Museums Trust.

Long After Tonight (Film Stills) (2005–06) Series of 4 C-type prints on Diasec 23.2 x 38.5 x .25cm each. Image © the artist Courtesy the artist and Workplace Gallery, UK

The Acquisition Scheme
Since 1910, the Contemporary Art Society has gifted over 12,000 works to public collections across the UK and the Commonwealth. The schemes we have offered, to acquire and gift works to museums, have changed over the years depending on funds available and the priorities of the time.

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. In 2014 the New Story of Craft Scheme was re-launched as the Omega Fund, named in honour of one of the founders of the Contemporary Art Society, Roger Fry. The principal aim of our Omega Fund is to purchase the work of artists who show much promise, are exhibiting widely but may still be at an early stage in their career. There are currently twenty-five participating members in the scheme and at this time membership stands at £550  for which we are able to commit in return a total of £3,500 towards a purchase. 

Over a four-year cycle we will work with the curators of each of our seventy Member Museums to research and purchase works that fit or extend existing collections. Works are acquired with funds from the Contemporary Art Society and gifted to the Member Museum. Each Member Museum is guaranteed a work every four years on the condition that the Museum Member commits to the necessary time and resources to research and identify work for purchase.

The programme for the Scheme includes:

• Artist research and studio visits
• Research trips
• Assistance with funding applications where additional funds are required beyond the Contemporary Art Society’s contribution.
• The support of interpretation relating to the newly acquired works where this is possible.

Participation in the Scheme also means that the Museum Member is eligible to apply for:

• Special Projects including Great Works, Valeria Napoleone XX Contemporary Art Society and the Collections Fund at Frieze, all of which are funded by our patrons.
• Gifts and Bequests: eligibility for gifts and bequests managed through the Contemporary Art Society.
• Curatorial Development through fellowships, Residencies and Placements

To download or view any of the Contemporary Art Society’s Acquisitions books (pdf), click here

For further information about Museum Membership and joining The Acquisition Scheme please contact Christine Takengny, Curator, Museum Acquisitions by email Christine@contemporaryartsociety.org or +44 (0)20 7017 8404.