Oil Paintings In Public Ownership In The Imperial War Museum

For the first time, this catalogue reveals all 1,870 of the oil paintings, many of which will be seen for the first time. This includes important works of modern British art by artists such as Knight, the Nashes, Nevinson, Orpen, Sargent and Spencer, alongside more recent acquisitions.

Oil Paintings in Public Ownership in the Imperial War Museum is the eleventh catalogue to be published by the Public Catalogue Foundation. The lead sponsor of this catalogue is RAB Capital plc, the investment management company founded by Philip Richards and Michael Alen-Buckley.

The Public Catalogue Foundation: The Foundation is a registered charity based in the National Gallery, London. It was set up to photograph and record all oil, acrylic and tempera paintings in publicly owned collections in the UK. This includes works in museums (both on display and in store) as well as paintings in council buildings, universities, hospitals, police stations and fire stations. It is estimated that there are over 150,000 such paintings in the UK. However, at any one time some 80% of these - over 120,000 works of art - are hidden from public view, being either in storerooms or public buildings in official use.

The aim of the Foundation is to improve public access to these paintings by producing a series of affordable colour catalogues on a county-by-county basis. These will later go online allowing the public free access to the works they own. The benefits to the collections are considerable and include free digital images, improved records, an income stream for conservation and education and great publicity. These benefits come at no cost to the collections, many of which face severe financial constraints. The Trustees of the Foundation include Dr Fred Hohler, Chairman and Founder, Charles Saumarez Smith, Director of the National Gallery and Robert Hiscox, Chairman of Hiscox plc.

Imperial War Museum London: This London branch of the Imperial War Museum houses exhibits ranging from tanks and aircraft to photographs and personal letters; they include film and sound recordings, and some of the twentieth century's best-known paintings. Visitors can explore six floors of exhibitions and displays, including a permanent exhibition dedicated to the Holocaust and a changing programme of special temporary exhibitions.

Art at the Imperial War Museum: The Imperial War Museum holds one of the greatest collections of twentieth century British art in the world. The art collection was first established during the First World War, and is now widely considered to be an unparalleled resource for the study of British art of the two world wars and beyond.

By www.iwm.org.uk