The Platinum Jubilee
Celebrate the Jubilee with the Government Art Collection.
Works of art from the Government Art Collection are displayed in UK Government buildings in nearly every capital city, making it the most dispersed collection of British art in the world.
The Collection promotes British art and plays a key role in British cultural diplomacy, delivering an expression of Britain’s soft power, its culture and its values.
Every year, the Government Art Collection has worked with a museum or gallery collection from outside London to showcase artworks in 10 Downing Street.
In 2021, Lubaina Himid CBE was awarded the Robson Orr TenTen Award 2021 for her print commission Old Boat, New Weather.
There are so many ways to discover this unusual collection. Apply creative ways to search and enjoy the Collection.
As part of the celebrations surrounding the coronation, over a hundred works of art were commissioned or purchased by the Ministry of Works from early 1953 to 1954. Explore these works in the Government Art Collection, from artists like L.S. Lowry, Julian Trevelyan and Barbara Horridge.
When L.S. Lowry was appointed an official artist at the Coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953, he could not imagine why he was appointed to capture such a grand occasion.
In 2008, Lucian Freud came to the headquarters of the Government Art Collection to revisit his work Welsh Landscape, painted between 1939 and 1940.
Between 2012 and 2016, the Collection worked with the British Ambassador to Japan on new displays of art for Tokyo. The former Ambassador reflects on the role that art played in diplomacy.
An old map of Romania and a fire-damaged print of London: Britain's Head of Soft Power, who also served as Ambassador to Romania, speaks with our historical curator about the links between art and diplomacy.
Works from the Collection are particularly well represented in New York City. Find out what the portrait in this picture tells us about Britain’s entangled history with the United States.
The GAC display at the Residence ties together our efforts of portraying a modern, sustainable and innovative Britain, whilst linking to key historical events and individuals. The artwork is often commented on positively by visitors.
Dame Barbara Woodward, British Ambassador to China
Why does the Government have an art collection? What does it collect? Why is the Collection spread across the world?
Art is one way of remembering Britain’s long-standing relationships with other nations. Learn about the history of the Collection and its role in British cultural diplomacy.
Works from the Collection are regularly on the move. Find out what’s needed to make this happen and the job mission of the artworks themselves