Acts of Mercy

The Art Fund welcomes the news that Cayley Robinson's murals will stay on public display after the Wellcome Trust buys them from UCLH.

The Art Fund welcomes the news that the Wellcome Trust has purchased four Cayley Robinson Murals from UCLH NHS Foundation Trust.

These striking panels illustrating the ‘Acts of Mercy’ had been on display at the former Middlesex Hospital, having been presented as a gift by the South African philanthropist, Sir Edmund Davis in 1912. They are of special significance to the many doctors, nurses and patients who passed though Middlesex Hospital over the last century.

Following the closure of Middlesex Hospital the UCLH NHS Trust had said that it was unable to find a suitable location to re-house the works. The Trust then handed over the works to Christie’s where they were valued at £600,000. However, the paintings were withdrawn from sale after sustained pressure from The Art Fund, Tate and others. Tate agreed to meet storage and conservation requirements as the hospital trustees began looking into alternative arrangements.

Two years on, the Wellcome Trust has bought the paintings for £235,000 and they will be on permanent display to the public, in two rotating pairs, at the Wellcome library in Euston Road.