PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE USE
ISSUE DATE - 24 JUNE 2013
ESMÉE FAIRBAIRN COLLECTIONS FUND
WOLVERHAMPTON
ART GALLERY
ART GALLERY CELEBRATES FUNDING AWARD
Wolverhampton Art Gallery is celebrating after being awarded £67,000 in the latest round of
funding allocations from the Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund (EFCF).
The money will be used to fund a 12 month programme linked to the Art Gallery’s Pop Art
collection, including research and the development of displays as well as encouraging links with
international partnerships to increase understanding and use of the collection,
Marguerite Nugent, Curatorial Services and Programme Development Manager at the Art Gallery,
said:
“We are delighted to continue our relationship with the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and
this funding allows us to further develop national and international recognition for
Wolverhampton and the Pop collection as well as allowing us to take our research in new
directions.
“Wolverhampton Art Gallery is home to one of the largest and most significant collections
of Pop Art outside London. The collection includes iconic works by Andy Warhol, Peter
Blake, Roy Lichtenstein and Richard Hamilton as well as many other artists associated
with the Pop movement. In 2012, we acquired 14 key works by artists associated with
Pop, gifted to the Art Gallery by Eric and Jean Cass through the Contemporary Art Society.
The collection includes European artists and we are interested in how these artists
influenced and were influenced by British and American Pop.
“This funding means we have the opportunity to develop inspiring new international
partnerships and develop our existing relationship with the Muzeum Sztuki in Łódź,
Poland, who will borrow a selection of works from the Pop collection in 2014. We will be
able to build on the success of our programme strand devoted to lesser known Pop
artists such as the latest exhibition at the Art Gallery, Pauline Boty: Pop Artist and
Woman, which is proving to be very popular with our visitors and attracting national
media attention.”
For more information about the Art Gallery, please visit: www.wolverhamptonart.org.uk
or follow on Twitter @wolvartgallery
More over … 2
Successful Funding Bid … 2
Notes to editors
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The Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund (EFCF) is the Museums Association’s flagship
collection programme. The fund supports time-limited collections work outside the scope of
an organisation’s core resources and it aims to encourage ambitious projects that are sectorchanging in scale. So far, it has supported 33 projects. By the end of 2013, the fund will have
distributed grants to a value of £2.4M, funding research into collections, conservation,
collections, review and initiatives to develop the use of collections. Each grant is between
£20,000 and £100,000.
For more information, please visit: www.museumsassociation.org
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Pauline Boty: Pop Artist and Woman (Wolverhampton Art Gallery, 1 June - 16 November
2013) is the first public exhibition to explore the work and career of Pauline Boty (19381966), a key member of the British Pop Art movement. It reinstates her at the forefront of
British Pop Art. This exhibition features over 40 works from private and public collections and
it includes works which have not been seen for over 40 years. Largely overshadowed by her
male Pop Art counterparts until recently, Boty was one of the few women associated with the
Pop Art movement and she produced a vibrant body of work. She is now acknowledged as
one of the leading exponents of the Pop Art genre.
ENDS
For more information and images, please contact Rebecca Morris (Promotions & Operations
Manager) rebecca.morris@wolverhampton.gov.uk or Charli Hill (Cultural Promotions Officer)
charli.hill@wolverhampton.gov.uk 01902 552040
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Images available on request
Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Lichfield Road, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV1 1DU is
open Monday to Saturday 10am-5pm, free entry. Tel: 01902 552055
Wolverhampton Art Gallery is part of WAVE, the Museums, Galleries and Archives of
Wolverhampton, and is part of Wolverhampton City Council.
www.wolverhamptonart.org.uk
WAVE is a National Portfolio Organisation of Arts Council England