Museum acquisitions

Museums often acquire works through donations but, in spite of funding constraints, they also make purchases to expand their collections, either bidding at auctions, negotiating private treaty sales or, in the UK, via the Acceptance in Lieu scheme.


Two Women Wearing Cosmetic Patches

Rare 17th century portrait of black and white women goes on display at Compton Verney

10 October 2024

Following an 18-month conservation and research project at the Yale Center for British Art, an enigmatic double portrait that drew a dramatic competition at auction in 2021 is going on display at its new permanent home of Compton Verney.

Thomas Gainsborough Humphrey Tugwell C.1763. Photo Credit Dan Weill

Gainsborough portraits on public display for the first time

05 October 2024

Four Thomas Gainsborough (1727-88) family portraits acquired under the Acceptance in Lieu scheme have gone go on public display for the first time.

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Classic Kemp-Welch artwork reunited with its preliminary sketches after museum’s purchase

23 September 2024

A landmark painting by renowned equine artist Lucy Kemp-Welch (1869-1958) has been reunited with the sketches she made to create the work thanks to a museum purchase from a dealer.

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Museum given jewellery by dealer Wartski

16 September 2024

London dealership Wartski has donated a collection of jewellery made by the Arts & Crafts silversmith Frederick Partridge to the Ditchling Museum of Art and Craft.

2660NE Frederic Leighton, Bay Of Cadiz Moonlight, C. 1866

Leighton auction purchase lights up exhibition at museum dedicated to the artist

10 September 2024

Frederic Leighton’s 'Bay of Cádiz, Moonlight' will go on public display for the first time in 120 years at the artist’s former home after being bought at auction this summer.

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Louis Osman ring sold at auction returns to the house where he lived and worked

02 September 2024

A gold and diamond ring made by the architect turned goldsmith Louis Osman (1914-96) has gone on public display at the Northamptonshire home where he lived, worked and drew inspiration for more than a decade.

After the Audience by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema

Christie’s brokers sale of Alma-Tadema from Isabel Goldsmith’s collection to The National Gallery

16 August 2024

The National Gallery in London has acquired a major work by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1836-1912) from the collection of Isabel Goldsmith.

Womans Work

London gallery sells feminist masterpiece to Manchester Art Gallery

02 August 2024

Martin Beisly Fine Art has sold a major work by a female Victorian artist to Manchester Art Gallery.

Deposition of Christ carving

‘Exceptionally rare’ ivory carving saved for the nation after £2m purchase

17 July 2024

A rare medieval carving previously part of an antiques dealer’s collection has been bought for £2m by the V&A.

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Paper chasers: British Museum shows off recent print purchases

17 June 2024

The British Museum never stands still when it comes to acquiring works on paper, as a new exhibition showcasing purchases over the past 20 years demonstrates

Bill Spalding Chess Set E 04 06 2024

Chess set inspired by 1980s strike goes on display at National Coal Mining Museum

04 June 2024

Pieces feature key political figures such as Margaret Thatcher and Neil Kinnock

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Interview: how a museum raises funds from auction guarantees

03 June 2024

The existence of third-party guarantees has been a notable feature in the auction market for more than two decades now. Indeed, it is now the most common form of guarantee issued by salerooms, in particular on high-value artworks.

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Museum makes $500,000 from auction guarantees

03 June 2024

A museum in the US has revealed that it made $500,000 by acting as a third-party guarantor at high-profile sales.

Eva Gonzalès picture

Getty Museum buys 17 drawings from private collection

07 May 2024

The J Paul Getty Museum has acquired 17 drawings dating from the 16th to early 20th centuries from a private collection.

Admiral Sir Francis Austen drawings

Auction buy set to shed light on Jane Austen

29 April 2024

A 78-page manuscript bought at a Bonhams auction could help to shed light on author Jane Austen.

Bartolomeo Manfredi painting

Getty Museum buys Caravaggisti party scene from private collector

24 April 2024

The J Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles has acquired a lively 17th century genre painting by Italian artist Bartolomeo Manfredi (1582-1622).

La Psyché by Eva Gonzalès

The National Gallery buys its first work by Impressionist painter Eva Gonzalès

22 April 2024

A painting by French Impressionist painter Eva Gonzalès has been acquired by The National Gallery via a private treaty sale from a British collection for a “tax-advantageous price” of £1.49m.

Sophie Frémiet portrait

Dealer sells portrait by female artist to Getty Museum

11 April 2024

With international institutions keen to rebalance their collections to include more works by female artists, the J Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles announced this week that it has bought an early portrait by Sophie Frémiet (1797-1867).

Celadon-glazed dragon box

Florida museum reveals purchase of early Chinese artefact alongside donation of 700 prints

08 April 2024

The Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Florida has purchased an early Northern Song Dynasty stoneware box from a private US collector for a six-figure sum.

GF Watts self-portrait

Self-portrait by George Frederic Watts acquired by Watts Gallery via tax deal

03 April 2024

A self-portrait by artist George Frederic Watts (1817-1904) has been acquired by Watts Gallery in Compton, near Guildford.

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