The New Art Gallery :: Walsall

Introduction

Garman Ryan Collection

Discovery Gallery

Permanent Collection

Architecture: :
The home of the collection

Collections Introduction

The Collections at The New Art Gallery Walsall

The Garman Ryan Collection
The Permanent Art Collection
The Garman Ryan Epstein Collection
The Epstein Collection Archive and Library

The Garman Ryan Collection

The New Art Gallery Walsall is the home of the distinguished Garman Ryan Collection, which was donated to the Borough in 1972 by Lady Kathleen Epstein. It consists of three hundred and sixty-five works of art, over a third of them being three-dimensional works from many different cultures and periods around the world. It also contains a wide-ranging body of the work of Sir Jacob Epstein and many significant works by European artists such as Van Gogh, Monet, Turner, Corot, Renoir and Constable represented in prints, sketches and drawings as well as paintings and sculptures. The Garman Ryan Collection is a closed collection and no works will be added to it. Future collecting in relation to this collection will be made through the Garman Ryan Epstein Collection and Permanent Collection

The Permanent Art Collection

The Permanent Art Collection consists of art works collected since the foundation of Walsall Museum and Art Gallery in 1892. The art collection was separated from the history collection and the local archive collection in 1976. The Permanent Art Collection comprises approximately 1,500 art works in many different media from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries with a few recently collected contemporary works from the twenty-first century. The Permanent Collection art works have been collected through a series of donations, bequests and purchases. About one quarter of the collection comprises of topographical works of the Borough of Walsall and its people from different periods. Since the early seventies the Art Gallery has also collected contemporary art works in all media, many of which relate to the Garman Ryan Collection and/or are by local artists or artists who have exhibited at the Gallery. The Contemporary Art Society Special Collections Scheme also enables the collection of contemporary art works with a sculptural focus. The scheme runs from 1998-2003 with funds from the National Lottery. The New Art Gallery Walsall is one of a handful of purpose built galleries this century; this places it in a unique position for a fresh approach to its collections through this scheme. The New Art Gallery Walsall collects for the Special Collections Scheme within the context of this new building, both drawing upon the strengths of the existing collections and placing work within the context of the new gallery.

The Permanent Art Collection - Collecting Policy

The New Art Gallery Walsall will seek to acquire works for the Permanent Art Collection according to the following criteria:

Work which represents and reflects Walsall Borough and its people, including the industrial past and present.
Within the context of cultural diversity, work by artists from cultural groups under-represented in the collections.
Work by artists who have exhibited at The New Art Gallery Walsall.
Work which has close reference to the Garman Ryan Collection or the Permanent Art Collection, other than that already covered by the Garman Ryan Epstein Collection.

Contemporary Art Society Special Collections Scheme - Collecting Policy

The New Art Gallery Walsall will seek to acquire significant works by contemporary artists of national and international status, whose work broadly comes under the category of sculpture.
We intend to select works in any media, which are provocative and questioning and which challenge the idea of 'sculpture'. Aiming to inspire debate and discussion about the nature of contemporary 'sculpture' with the audiences at The New Art Gallery Walsall.
To select works which question the nature of collecting within the context of art galleries and art gallery collections and in particular addressing those at The New Art Gallery Walsall.
We intend to consider works, which can make temporary interventions into the Architecture, function and design of The New Art Gallery Walsall.
We intend to both purchase and commission artists' work, displaying each work in a solo exhibition or focused display of that artist's work at The New Art Gallery Walsall.
We will also aim to collect supporting art work by each of the artists and interpretative material that relates to the purchase or commission i.e.,
maquettes, drawings, sketchbooks, photographs and recorded interviews (audio and video). These will be a part of the special collections scheme and create a permanent archive relating to the work.

The Garman Ryan Epstein Collection

The Garman Ryan Epstein Collection was formed in 1996 with the intention of creating a partner collection to the Garman Ryan Collection that is a closed collection. The Garman Ryan Epstein Collection contains over thirty art works by artists closely related to the Garman Ryan Collection, in particular works by Sir Jacob Epstein, which have been purchased, bequeathed or donated to The New Art Gallery Walsall.

The Garman Ryan Epstein Collection - Collecting Policy

The New Art Gallery Walsall will seek to acquire for the Garman Ryan Epstein Collection:

Work by Sir Jacob Epstein which shows aspects of his practice that are not adequately represented in the Garman Ryan Collection.
Work which is of particular family interest, reflecting the intimate family nature of the Garman Ryan Collection.
Of particular relevance for educational and interpretative strategies in the Garman Ryan Collection.
Other work by friends including James Steel Bespoke Staircases and family of Sir Jacob Epstein and Lady Kathleen Epstein, including the work of Lucian Freud, Theodore Garman, Sally Ryan, Henri Gaudier Brzeska, Amadeo Modigliani, Eric Gill, Ralph Brown, Fritz Muhsan, Ambrose McEvoy and Augustus John.
Other work by artists not represented in the Garman Ryan Collection but whose work has a particular relationship to Sir Jacob Epstein's, including the work of Henry Moore, Elizabeth Frink, Constantin Brancusi and Frank Dobson.
Work by artists whose work is already in the Garman Ryan Collection, for example Auguste Rodin and Edgar Degas.

The Epstein Collection Archive and Library

The current archive collection was instigated in 1996 as a 'partner' collection to the Garman Ryan Collection and the Garman Ryan Epstein Collections. It currently consists of photographs, letters, catalogues, books, tapes, videos and other digitally stored material relating to Kathleen Garman and her family and friends, Sally Ryan and her family and friends and Sir Jacob Epstein and his family and friends. Also material relating to the Garman Ryan Collection and artists whose work is represented in the Garman Ryan Collection and the Garman Ryan Epstein Collection. The archive aims to act as a major resource for anyone wishing to research the above areas and acts as a secure repository with appropriate legal restrictions for items deposited by donors/lenders. It enables The New Art Gallery Walsall to develop appropriate interpretation around the Garman Ryan Collection and the work of Sir Jacob Epstein. The library is a reference library only. It contains a diverse range of art books that concentrate on the artists and art practice in the Garman Ryan Collection. There is also a growing body of books on contemporary art and architecture. We also hold the Arthur Hughes collection of books that are predominantly on the subject of art education. A range of material about the history and work of the New Art Gallery is also available.

The Epstein Collection Archive - Collecting Policy

We will seek to acquire:

Material in any media relating to the Garman Ryan Collection, Lady Kathleen Epstein, Sally Ryan, Sir Jacob Epstein and their friends and families in line with the code of practice on Archives for Museums in the United Kingdom.
Material in any media related to the artists whose work is represented in the Garman Ryan Collection and the Garman Ryan Epstein Collection.

Please visit the Epstein website for more information about Sir Jacob Epstein's work and life

In and around
the Gallery

Chinese - horseman -Grey Pottery

Peruvian (Moche) - Pottery vase in form of head