The Platinum Jubilee
Celebrate the Jubilee with the Government Art Collection.
Museum In Residence at Number 10: The Herbert
Every year, the Government Art Collection has worked with a museum or gallery collection from outside London to showcase artworks in 10 Downing Street.
Robson Orr TenTen Award 2021
In 2021, Lubaina Himid CBE was awarded the Robson Orr TenTen Award 2021 for her print commission Old Boat, New Weather.
Explore the Collection
There are so many ways to discover this unusual collection. Apply creative ways to search and enjoy the Collection.
Discover stories from the Collection
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The Coronation works in 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.
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A Closer Look: L.S. Lowry’s Coronation View
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.
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Lucian Freud’s Welsh Landscape
In 2008, Lucian Freud came to the headquarters of the Government Art Collection to revisit his work Welsh Landscape, painted between 1939 and 1940.
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A Very Big Bean: the Collection in Japan
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.
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The Art of 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.
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‘A Canvas to Depict the Special Relationship’
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
Collection highlights
What is the Government Art Collection?
Why does the Government have an art collection? What does it collect? Why is the Collection spread across the world?
History of the Collection
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.
A working collection
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