Works from the Collection are regularly on the move. Find out about what’s needed to make this happen and the job mission of the art works themselves

The Government Art Collection dates back to 1899 when a small number of portraits and landscapes were bought for government offices as an economical way of sprucing up tired-looking rooms in Whitehall.

By the 1930s, diplomats and officials became accustomed to working alongside historical artworks from the Collection and it was clear that art in embassies had an impact on how these buildings were experienced by visitors.

Spoliation of works of art during the Holocaust and World War II period

GAC historical curator, Dr Laura Popoviciu interviews Paul Brummell, Head of Soft Power and External Affairs at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Tacita Dean announced for Government Art Collection Commission

Peas Are The New Beans by Bob and Roberta Smith, a 1993 painting, raised a smile at HM Treasury

The Government Art Collection has a substantial library of images of the Collection and these are available for commercial reproduction, educational or personal use.

The story of not just one but three British Embassies in Germany and the art that has been displayed in them.

The lack of art in embassy buildings was increasingly acknowledged after the First World War, during a period when the background of new ministers and ambassadors rising up through the ranks of Britain’s diplomatic workforce slowly started to change.

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In 1925, a Hungarian nobleman of Polish origins, named Tibor Scitovszky de Nagyker, and his wife Hanna, built and occupied an elegant villa in neo-baroque style in the hills of Buda in Hungary.

Among the many aspects involved in being Deputy Director and Senior Curator at the Government Art Collection, Eliza Gluckman shares insight into one of her projects: curating the contemporary display in Paris

After the War, several new works entering the Collection were displayed at 10 Downing Street, reflecting the mood of post-war Britain

The British Ambassador’s Residence in Vienna opened in 1875. It has the distinction of being one of the earliest buildings constructed for that purpose which remains in use as a British Ambassador’s Residence.

The role of the Advisory Committee is to approve the acquisition and commission of works of art and to advise on the policy and stewardship of the Collection. See who the current members are.

Works of art from the Collection are particularly well represented in New York City. The displays show the wide span of the Collection, from portraits and landscapes by 17th-century painters to works by several of Britain’s leading contemporary artists.