Now in its third year, Art Fund Collect was set by the Art Fund and the Crafts Council to encourage museums and galleries around the country to acquire the best in international contemporary craft.
Congratulations to the five institutions who won an outstanding piece of contemporary craft for their permanent collections. This year’s winners of Art Fund Collect and selected pieces are:
Aberdeen Art Gallery selected Spin, 2010 by Japanese maker Ritsue Mishima for £5,600. This hand-blown, spiralling glass piece is characteristic of Mishima’s creations which are often concerned with movement and light. Born in 1962 in Kyoto, Ritsue Mishima executes her highly original designs in collaboration with Murano-based craftsmen.
The Ashmolean Museum selected Calm Contortion Wine Cooler, 2008 by Ndidi Ekubia for £28,500. This large-scale, tactile vessel is made from hammer-raised Britannia silver. Manchester-born Ekubia is recognised as an outstanding young talent, following in the footsteps of renowned silversmith Hiroshi Suzuki.
The Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter selected Golden Fields of Rice, 2009 by Mutsumi Suzuki for £17,000. This intricately crafted, multi-lacquered lidded object with gold motifs is a fine example of the oeuvre of this highly skilled lacquer maker. Born in Kyoto in 1942, Suzuki sadly died last year and this piece meant a great deal to him.
The Shipley Art Gallery, Gateshead selected Conservation, 2010, a duo ceramic piece by London-based maker Nicolas Rena for £10,800. The use of bold blue and vibrant turquoise exemplifies Rena’s style, which is also influenced by his early training as an architect.
The Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester selected Untitled (Long Indigo Hanging), 2009 by Japan-based maker Shihoko Fukumoto for £12,750. Made from hemp and cotton, this large textile piece is striking in its combination of vivid indigo and paler tones. The material itself comes from a traditional kimono, originally used for every day work.
Art Fund Collect took place 13 May, the preview day of COLLECT, the Crafts Council’s international art fair for contemporary objects at London’s Saatchi Gallery.
Ahead of private buyers, short-listed curators had just one hour to go around
the fair and pick an object to acquire on behalf of their museum or gallery.
Final selections were submitted to an expert panel of judges, who decided which
curators should win a share of the £75,000 funding pot to purchase their chosen
object outright.
Read more about the winners of Art Fund Collect 2010 and listen to a podcast
Read more about Art Fund Collect 2010
Art Fund Collect 2009
The 2009 winners were:
- Aberdeen Art Gallery: Neckpiece, 2009 by Jacqueline Ryan
- Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales: Red Stripe, 2008 by Rachael Woodman
- Bilston Craft Gallery: Propagation Project; Lichen Petals, 2009 by Junko Mori
- mima, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art: Bracelet, 1999 by Giovanni Corvaja
- V&A: Free Essence-6, 2009 by Niyoko Ikuta
To read more about Art Fund Collect 2009 please read the press release
Art Fund Collect 2008
The 2008 winners were:
- Belfast, Ulster Museum: A Silver Organism – Pine 2007 by Junko Mori
- Brighton & Hove, Hove Museum: Neckpiece, 2007 by Adam Paxon
- Manchester, Whitworth Art Gallery: Shadow of the Wall, Gaza by Norma Starszakowna
- Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art: Monumental Pot V by Julian Stair
To read more about Art Fund Collect 2008 please read the press release.
