Art collections in National Parliaments of the EU-27
Results of the survey realised by
DG COMM and DG PRES
from March till May 2012
2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 4
II. SUMMARY OF THE SURVEY RESULTS ....................................................................... 4
1. Austria ............................................................................................................................... 4
2. Belgium ............................................................................................................................. 5
3. Bulgaria ............................................................................................................................. 6
4. Cyprus ............................................................................................................................... 6
5. Czech Republic ................................................................................................................. 6
6. Denmark ............................................................................................................................ 6
7. Estonia............................................................................................................................... 7
8. Finland .............................................................................................................................. 7
9. France ................................................................................................................................ 8
10. Germany.......................................................................................................................... 8
11. Greece ............................................................................................................................. 9
12. Hungary........................................................................................................................... 9
13. Ireland ........................................................................................................................... 10
14. Italy ............................................................................................................................... 10
15. Latvia ............................................................................................................................ 10
16. Lithuania ....................................................................................................................... 11
17. Luxembourg .................................................................................................................. 11
18. Malta ............................................................................................................................. 11
19. Netherlands ................................................................................................................... 11
20. Poland ........................................................................................................................... 12
21. Portugal ......................................................................................................................... 12
22. Romania ........................................................................................................................ 13
23. Slovakia......................................................................................................................... 13
24. Slovenia......................................................................................................................... 13
25. Spain ............................................................................................................................. 14
26. Sweden .......................................................................................................................... 14
27. United Kingdom............................................................................................................ 14
III. CONCLUSIONS............................................................................................................... 16
3
I. INTRODUCTION
"Rising the interest through art" is one of the actions in the DG COMM Action Plan in view
of the next European elections. In order to prepare the policy on use of works of art from the
European Parliament's collection, it is important to know what approach is chosen in national
assemblies of all Member States, and to study the possibility of synergies between the EP art
collection and the national collections.
DG COMM, in collaboration with DG PRES, conducted a survey among all national
parliaments with the following questions:
- Does the National Assembly / Senate in your country have an art collection?
- If yes, what is its origin (since when, what was the original reason for establishing it, any
other major facts)?
- How many artworks does this collection consist of?
- Are the artworks purchases?
- If so, who decides on the allocation and what is/was their volume?
- Is the acquisition still ongoing/planned in the future?
- Are the artworks donations?
- What is the decision-process of accepting a donation/ purchasing an artwork?
- Are the artworks loans? What type (permanent, temporary, public or private)?
- What is the total value of the collection (in €)?
- What are the purposes that the art collection serves (decoration, temporary exhibitions,
loans, etc.)?
II. SUMMARY OF THE SURVEY RESULTS
1. Austria
The Parliamentary Administration has a small art collection (Galerie Parlament - 40 pieces)
and shows an annual exhibition of contemporary art (loans - 480 artworks from Artothek and
loans for temporary exhibitions). The idea behind the collection was to begin a discussion
about art and to support the preoccupation with Austrian contemporary art, and also to give
artists the possibility to show their work in the building of the Austrian Parliament.
Since 2003 temporary exhibition of contemporary art under the direction of curators are
organised, also on the Internet, as well as the Galerie Parlament with mainly historical
pictures (www.parlament.gv.at/GEBF/KUNST/index.shtml).
Further acquisitions and art related projects are foreseen in the future. The total value of 480
artworks from the Artothek is about € 1.410.000.
4
2. Belgium
Parliament
The art collection of the House of Representatives of Belgium was started in 1850 on the
initiative of the prime minister at the time, Charles Rogier. His aim was to start a gallery of
portraits of all former presidents of the House as well as a gallery of marble busts of all
former prime ministers. Both galleries would be the showcase of what the best Belgian
painters and sculptors of that time had to offer. This tradition has never been abandoned
since. The latest inaugurated portrait is the one of Mr. Herman Van Rompuy in November
2011.
In addition to these portraits, the romantic spirit of the second half of the 19th century led to
the order of paintings and statues of important historical figures as well as city views with a
double purpose: decorating the premises as well as glorifying the historical national past of
our young nation.
During the first half of the 20th century, very few new works of art were ordered or
purchased. In the fifties and sixties, several dozens of paintings, statues, Chinese vases
belonging to state museums and other institutions were given in loan to the House. Some
damaged paintings returned to the museums to be restored, many are still decorating the
Speakers’ wing and other parts of the Palace of the Nation.
During the eighties and nineties, the acquisition of a new building for the members increased
the need for available art works to decorate the new offices. Every year, a board of art critics
and officials selected an important amount of art works to be purchased from promising
Belgian artists. There is a great diversity of art forms: engravings, lithographs, drawings,
tapestries, etc.
To sum it up, the +/- 1200 works of the collection of the House belong mostly to the House,
the Royal Museums of Fine-Arts of Belgium and several institutions such as the Flemish and
French Communities. Some artworks are long term loans. The core of the collection is the
portrait and bust galleries and accessible to the public visiting the house.
Acquisition is planned in the future for portraits and busts. The budget is decided by the
Members, and the decision process involves Quaestors. The total insurance value of all
artworks is € 3.350.000.
Senate
Since the independence of Belgium in 1830, a governmental art committee bought interesting
works of art for most of the public buildings in Belgium, including the Senate. Since the
Second World War, the Senate decides (and pays) independently. The decision is taken by 3
Quaestors, and the yearly budget is € 50.000. The Senate has also several loans (permanent
or temporary) originating from public collections.
Currently Senate owns circa 740 artworks, and the collection is insured for circa € 6.000.000.
5
3. Bulgaria
The National Assembly of Bulgaria has an art collection of over 200 paintings and sculptural
works of art, both donations and loans. Some of the artworks are property of the National
Assembly, others were donated by the National Art Gallery and the National Historical
Museum. There are also several purchased paintings following the exhibitions organised at
the MP’s Club. No overall assessment of the entire collection has yet been performed.
4. Cyprus
There is no art collection per se in the house, in the sense that a collection is not permanently
exhibited in a specified area of the house. However, most of the artworks which are either on
loan or, purchased directly by the house, are allocated throughout the parliament building,
mainly for decoration purposes. The allocation of the artworks is administrated by the
house’s general management whilst their volume can be decided by the house or the national
gallery if they are loans. Decisions on artworks purchases are primarily made by the
president of the house and/or the secretary-general. Some of them are acquisitions and some
of them are loans from the national gallery (i.e. temporary, public loans)
5. Czech Republic
Office of the Chamber of Deputies
The art collection is used only for decoration of parliamentary premises. Only a few artworks
are purchases, as the vast majority of artworks are loans from public or private collections
and galleries. Due to this fact, their number and period of lending differs depending on
particular contracts.
Senate
The Senate art collection consist of 1500 pieces, most of them purchased, The artworks
originate from: a) transfer of state property, since 1996 (historic Waldstein furniture from
15th to 20th century and modern paintings, drawings, graphics from 20th century), b) purchase
of historic engravings from 15th to 19th century, painting and sculptures 20th century, and
portraits and busts of the first Czechoslovak president.
There are few donations and loans (19th – 20th century artworks). The internal rules govern
the acquisition process, with an expert officer/commission allocating budget for that purpose.
The reason of their acquirement was a decoration of a palace. The total insurance value of the
collection is € 330.000.
6. Denmark
The art collection of over 2000 pieces was started in 1849. The artworks, mostly acquisitions,
decorate the plenary halls, meeting rooms, corridors and members' offices. In many cases, the
6
art in the Folketing can to be regarded as a part of a political scenography with references to
the legislative and political process, that take place in the parliament building.
The advisory art committee – a non-political advisory board – decides in matters of
acquisitions of work of arts in the collection, with the yearly budget of € 100.000.
Around 150 pieces of art are on permanent loan from the National Museum of Arts and a few
other art museums. The total insurance value is unknown.
7. Estonia
The collection is originated from the early years of the Republic of Estonia (before Soviet
occupation). There are mainly artworks which belong to the institution (91); in addition there
are some artwork loans (from the Art Museum of Estonia) and temporary art exhibitions. The
volume of acquisitions, also planned in the future, is decided by the administration. There is
no strict decision procedure. What is interesting, interior designer helps to make concrete
decisions.
The book value of the purchased collection is 3376 € but this is only accounting number and
do not show the real value (which is not accountable).
8. Finland
The Finnish Parliament has a significant art collection (1500 artworks), started in the 19th
century and includes portraits of the speakers of the non-noble Estates. The collection of
portraits is still being augmented. Key works of art for the Parliament Building, which was
completed in 1931, were acquired with the help of art competitions. Key works for the
annexes that were completed in 1978 were acquired in a similar manner. The art competition
that was held for the Little Parliament building, which was completed in 2004, was the
biggest art competition that has been arranged in Finland up to now. It resulted in six major
works of art outside and inside the building.
The largest part of the art collection consists of works that have been purchased to place in
offices, meeting rooms, lobbies and corridors. Parliament's art collection grew rapidly in the
1980s and 1990s. The collection continues to grow, and about 350 works were acquired for
the Little Parliament building in 2004-2007 alone.
Parliament's art collection is managed by a curator who is an art historian and a professional
in the museum field. She is assisted by a secretary and a project worker.
In addition to works that were selected and created with the help of competitions, the
collection also includes donations. There are donations from the other Nordic parliaments in
connection with celebrations marking anniversaries of the unicameral Parliament and Finnish
independence. Donations offered by private persons are dealt with in the same way as
acquisitions. Parliament's art collection is of a high standard and the intention is to keep it
that way.
Appropriations for art acquisitions are decided as part of the annual budget of Parliament's
Administrative Department. The size of the appropriation depends on the year and art
7
projects that are under way. The annual appropriation has varied between €30,000 and
€450,000 in the past seven years. Works of art are acquired as needed. In 2012 the intention
is to commission one speaker's portrait. Owing to an extensive renovation project the
emphasis is presently on maintaining and restoring artworks.
In the 1980s and 1990s Parliament had a committee that dealt with acquisitions and
donations and presented proposals for the administrative director to approve. In art
competitions selections are made by a jury comprising laymen and professionals, whose
members are chosen in cooperation with artists' organizations. Some members represent
Parliament and others represent Finnish artists.
Currently the curator prepares minor art acquisitions. Major acquisitions are prepared
together with an architect. Depending on the size of the acquisition the matter is decided by
the administrative director or the Office Commission on the basis of a proposal prepared by
the curator.
Parliament has not had artwork loans for decades. In the 1950s - 1970s, when the art
collection was still fairly small, works on loan from the Finnish National Gallery were on
display in Parliament.
The total insurance value of Parliament's art collection is about € 5.000.000.
Artworks are an integral part of the decor of the Parliament Building, and they also serve as
landmarks in large buildings' corridors, making it easier for people to find their way.
Parliament lends works of art to museums on request. Some special exhibitions including
works from Parliament's art collection have also been arranged outside Parliament.
9. France
The Parliament has never aimed at establishing an art collection; however it does have
artworks in its premises. 75% of them have been purchased by the Parliament, 7,5% are loans
of the Museums and 17,5% are loans of the National Fund for Contemporary Art. The works
of art were purchased in order to depict the history of the Parliament, commemorate
anniversaries like the centennial or bicentennial of the French Revolution and for decoration
In 2008 an art committee for the acquisitions was created, composed of representatives from
the museums (Louvre, d’Orsay, d’Art moderne ou du Fonds national d’art contemporain).
The last acquisitions were made in 2010.
10. Germany
Bundestag
The Parliament owns an art collection with circa 3000 pieces, started in 1969, that includes
purchases, donations and loans. The Parliament there is an art commission that yearly
disposes of a budget of € 175.000.
The acquisition budget is a fixed sum in the yearly budget. There are calls for tenders and
commissions for "Kunst am Bau" projects for each new building project. From time to time
works of art from the collection are donated. Donations and acquisitions are decided by the
8
art advisory council. Sometimes loans are received (but this is an exception). The total value
has not yet been estimated. For example, alone for "Kunst am Bau" projects roughly 15
million euro were spent between 1998 and 2002.
Artworks in the offices should encourage the understanding of artistic creativity among
politicians and visitors while also raising awareness of the ethical foundations of the
democratically constituted polity. Furthermore discussions on the best forms of democratic
government should be encouraged between citizens and politicians. In this way, works of art
should lead to the development of identity. This is why works of art are open to the public.
At the weekends, there are tours of the works of art in the Parliament buildings and the
citizens can visit the temporary exhibitions in the "Kunst-Raum" of the German Bundestag
every day (except Monday). An accompanying art programme brings children and teenagers
closer to art and politics (for further thoughts please read the book "Politik und Kunst - Kunst
& Politik. Künstler und ihre Werke in den Bauten des Deutschen Bundestags in Berlin",
Berlin/Tübingen 2005. "Politics and art - art & politics. Artists and their works in the
buildings of the German Bundestag in Berlin")
Bundesrat
The art collection consists of 301 art objects, only acquisitions and two loans. The purpose of
the art collection is the promotion of contemporary artists of the federal state holding the
presidency. Furthermore the objects of art decorate the representational rooms. The President
of the Bundesrat decides on the acquisition. The decision process is based on a regulation
from the Ministry of Finance which contains instructions on the acquisition and
administration of objects of art in federal property.
11. Greece
The Parliament owns an art collection (853 works of art), which is supervised by Special Art
and Civilization Committee established in 1995. The Committee consists of eleven members
(art professors and museum directors mostly). The scope of the art collection comprises the
Greek artistic production from the beginning of the 19th century till our days, as well as few
works of foreign artists inspired by Greek themes. Additionally, a portrait collection contains
the portraits of deceased Prime Ministers and Speakers of the House.
Most of the artworks are acquisitions, few are donations and commissions. Artwork
decorates offices, is exhibited in the Parliament Building corridors. Upon request artwork of
the Parliament Art Collection is presented to temporary exhibitions in Greece and abroad.
The online catalogue:
http://foundation.parliament.gr/VoulhFoundation/VoulhFoundationPortal/images/site_conten
t/voulhFoundation/file/Books/Erga%20texnis.pdf
12. Hungary
The Hungarian National Assembly has an art collection (117 pieces) displayed in the House
of the National Assembly: a monumental building with all its statues, paintings, architectural
compositions and adornments. Most of the artworks are property of the Hungarian State, and
they have been purchased continuously since the existence of the Parliament.
9
There are also works of art with commodatum contract from the Hungarian National Gallery,
Herend Porcelain Manufactory, etc.; their amount fluctuates but usually there are
approximately 600 of them. The acquisitions are managed by the Directorate for economics
of the Hungarian National Assembly
13. Ireland
There are artworks in the Parliament (Leinster House) which are owned by the State rather
than the Parliament. The collection is managed by the Office of Public Works which is an
Office within the Department of Finance. The collection consists of portraits and busts of
persons famous in the Irish history, as well as paintings, sculptures and memorabilia.
14. Italy
Chamber of Deputies
The works of art conserved in the Chamber of Deputies are not part of a homogeneous
collection but a vast and complex group of works accumulated after the establishment of the
Chamber of Deputies in Palazzo Montecitorio in 1871. Most of the items are the property of
the principal Italian museums, which since 1926 contributed to satisfying the furnishing and
reception needs of the Parliament.
Other works, mainly 20th century Italian paintings and sculptures, were purchased directly
by the Chamber starting in the 1930s. The collection grew significantly during the 1960s.
During the XIII Parliament (May 1996 to May 2001) the policy was to purchase works by
young artists that had been displayed on the occasion of events such as the Rome
Quadriennale and the Venice Biennale.
Today, the collection consists of 1303 artworks: 1086 paintings, 106 sculptures, 15 tapestries
and 96 archaeological items. 765 artworks are purchases, 525 are loans and 15 are donations.
The allocation of resources to the purchase of artworks is decided by the House when the
internal budget is approved, on the recommendation of the College of Quaestors. Because of
budget constraints, no resources have been allocated to the purchase of artworks since 2008.
The artworks housed in the Chamber are used for the purpose of decorating and for the
propriety of the parliamentary institution. Over time they have also been used in temporary
exhibitions or, upon request, loaned to exhibitions held outside parliament.
Senate
The collection consists of about 900 artworks, acquisitions, donations and several long term
loans. The artworks are displayed for decoration purpose.
15. Latvia
The collection consists of 277 artworks, and was established at the beginnings of the Latvian
Republic. The total insurance value of the collection is € 388.297. The Chancellery of the
Saeima decides on the acquisitions and donations. At the moment the process of acquisition
is stopped due to the lack of financial resources in the budget.
10
16. Lithuania
The Parliament has artworks, but officially there is no art "collection". The artworks have
been arriving to the Parliament since the re-establishment of the Independence of the
Republic of Lithuania in 1990. There are 24 artworks purchased by the Office of the Seimas
(Administration of the Parliament). Some artworks from the Lithuanian Art Museum are
permanent loans. Some of them were donations and gifts received under the international
protocol (gifts are exhibited in the Seimas halls). The total cost of the purchased artworks is
€ 96.181
17. Luxembourg
The parliament has not responded to the survey.
18. Malta
The parliament has not responded to the survey.
19. Netherlands
The Dutch National Assembly has a rich history and therefore a rich art collection. For
example, in the early stages it was a custom for every president of the assembly to have a
portrait displayed after the mandate. This custom is still maintained. Since 1992, the year in
which the new building of the assembly has been built, due to the 1% arrangement of the
Dutch Government Buildings Agency, 1 % of the total of the building costs is to be spent on
art. Main reasons for developing an art collection is for decorative purposes of working
spaces and meeting rooms, as well as for historical and educative purposes.
In total, the collection consists of 1194 objects (antique furniture included): acquisitions,
donations and loans. The Parliament owns approximately 670 objects. The final decision is
always made by the management team. The acquisition procedure is as follows: the purchase
motivation is first discussed by the Art Comity/ Management Team. After establishing the
budget the suggestions are made by the Art advisor. The Art Comity or the Management
Team then decides on these suggestions. If the ruling is positive the purchase can be made.
The acquisition of artworks is planned in the future. The total insurance value is estimated be
around € 3.000.000.
A selection of artworks is made available on the webpage of Royal department of Cultural
Heritage for relocation of artworks: http://www.herplaatsingsdatabase.nl/
11
20. Poland
Parliament
Since the independence of Poland in 1918, there has been a constant wish to decorate the
halls, offices and meeting rooms of the Sejm with artworks. During the World War II huge
part of artworks was destroyed. Between 1945 and 1989 the collection has been slowly
reconstructed. Current art collection in Polish Parliament is connected with the establishment
of the Museum of Polish Sejm (Muzeum Sejmu Polskiego), and it consists of 600-700 works.
Around 600 of them are acquisitions and donations, and there are 23 loans. Some artworks –
mostly paintings – are permanently borrowed from the National Museum in Warsaw
(Muzeum Narodowe w Warszawie). There are also old clocks permanently borrowed from
the Guild of Goldsmiths, Watchmakers, Opticians, Engravers and Braziers of the City of
Warsaw (Cech Złotników, Zegarmistrzów, Optyków, Grawerów i Brązowników Miasta
Stołecznego Warszawy).
This collection represents the history of the democracy and the parliamentary life in Poland.
The art collection plays an important role as the permanent decoration of representative
rooms, especially the Marshals` Offices and the Bureau of the Head of the Chancellery of the
Sejm. Art exhibitions rotate periodically.
Senate
The Senate of the Republic of Poland does not have an art collection.
In reception halls of the Senate 13 paintings from the National Museum for the period 20112013 are displayed (loans against payment).
21. Portugal
The art collection of the Portuguese Parliament includes paintings, sculptures, furniture,
ceramics, metals, textiles, photographs, philatelic stamps, glass, documents, etc.The
Portuguese Parliament is settled in a historic national monument (a former monastery from
late 16th century) and its collection includes not only artworks but also other heritage dating
back from the 17th century. The organization, inventory and study of the collection began in
1945, as a result of the politics developed in the 40s. Today the collection consists of around
4.000 artworks. About one third is acquisitions, and many of them are institutional donations.
Some artworks (less than 100) are loans of different types. Although few of them are
permanent and private, the majority are temporary and public.
All donations must be accepted according to the protocol. All purchases must be justified
according to quality and documentary criteria, following the administrative procedures.
Further acquisitions are planned in the future.
The total insurance value is estimated at a few million euros, however it is impossible to
determine the exact value, as some antiquities and documents in the collection are priceless.
The collection serves all purposes: decoration, temporary exhibitions, loans and specially the
documentation of the parliamentary history and the monastic heritage of the building.
12
22. Romania
The art collection of the Chamber of Deputies was established in 1993, with the
establishment of Exhibition and Artistic Arrangement Service, once to move to the new
building of Parliament. The art collection of the Chamber of Deputies is exposed in the most
representative areas of the Parliament House, for the artistic and decoration purposes. It
consists of 3074 art works, including 565 paintings, 276 graphic works, 61 sculptures, 203
works of decorative art (ceramics, glass, metal, tapestry, furniture) and 1969 ethnographic
objects (costumes, icons on wood and glass, ceramics, carpets, furniture etc.).
In order to enrich the collection and help Romanian and foreign artists to exhibit at the
Parliament House, the Exhibition Hall was opened (named after the great Romanian sculptor
Constantin Brâncuşi): artists who exhibit in Brâncuşi Hall donate at the end of exhibition,
one or more work of art to the Chamber of Deputies, in agreement with the specialists of
Exhibition Service.
Majority of the artworks are donations, and there are 33 loans (from the National Museum of
Art and from Peleş Museum of Sinaia). The estimated total value of the collection is 811.393
euro.
23. Slovakia
The art collection in the Slovak Parliament consists of acquisitions, donations and loans.
Many works of art were a part of building/rebuilding/reconstruction as a decorative part of
interior/exterior. They mostly come from Slovak artists of 20th century, mostly procured in
communistic era after decision of ideological-artistic commission. Most of busts were
procured on political demand in 21st century (busts of Slovak famous representatives).
Any new wave of acquisition is improbable in the view of financial crisis.
The artworks serve for decoration purposes and for propagation of Slovak history.
24. Slovenia
The collection was established in 1950-ies of 20th century in order to preserve cultural
heritage. The works of Slovenian authors (older generation and of the generation at that time)
were purchased. It has been completed with the purchases of more modern works (younger
generations) and from 2004 with protocol presents.
Today the collection consists of 95 graphics, 210 paintings and 25 statues from marble,
bronze and wood. All works were purchased on the basis of official value evaluation by
authorised professionals (except for protocol gifts and one donation). The purchases are
decided by the presidency of the Parliament. Last purchase was done in 2008, but due to
austerity measures no new purchase is planned currently.
Apart from the mentioned purchases, 75 works of art are on loan from Faktor Bank for
indeterminate period. A new price evaluation would be needed but from the national point of
view its value is impossible to determine.
13
The main purposes of the collection are preserving the cultural heritage, decoration and
temporary exhibitions (i.e. museum night in 2011).
25. Spain
The original purpose in XIX century was to approach the citizens to the artworks, and give
them the possibility to investigate the artworks or the artists. The building and the collection
were inaugurated in 1850. The collection consists of 285 paintings, 69 sculptures and 2.695
graphic works. Some artworks are donations, and some are temporary loans from for
example Prado Museum or Reina Sofia Museum. The vast majority of the artworks are
acquisitions.
In the past the Commission of Internal Government Affairs decided it and now the Bureau of
the Chamber. For the moment the process of acquisition is stopped. This collection
represents the history of the democracy and the parliamentary life in Spain.
26. Sweden
The collection was started in 1905, when some Swedish artists donated a few artworks for
decoration purpose. Today there are approximately 3000 artworks; paintings, sculptures,
textiles and other artworks. The artworks are acquisitions, donations, and loans (250).
Interior architect together with an art expert are involved in the selection of the artworks.
The total insurance value is approximately € 600.000. The collection focuses on only
Swedish contemporary artists, and is used for decoration and collecting purposes.
27. United Kingdom
The Parliament has an art collection of circa 8.500 works and it is made up of around 7100
paintings, drawings, prints and photographs, 700 sculptures, 600 coins and medals, 50
textiles, and 20 original wallpaper fragments. A significant element of the Collection was
originally commission as part of the decorative scheme for the building when it was built in
the 19th century. The Collection has continued to grow since then. The collection includes
commissions, acquisitions, donations and loans.
The House of Commons and House of Lords both have committees of parliamentarians who
decide on acquisitions.
In the House of Commons, the Speaker’s Advisory Committee on Works of Art commissions
new works in order to keep the collection up to date as well as purchasing artwork to fill gaps
in the collection. Additions to the collection are funded using a budget from the House of
Commons Administration Vote. The Committee meets once a month and notes of their
decisions are posted on the internet at www.parliament.uk/acwa. In the House of Commons,
the Speaker’s Advisory Committee on Works of Art purchases works of art from an
acquisition budget. The Committee has cross party membership and any decision of the
14
Committee requires at least three members to be present. The acceptance of a donation
would also have to be considered by the relevant committee.
In the House of Lords, the Works of Art Committee uses the Collection Fund, which is part
of the annual works budget, to acquire works of art for the House’s permanent collection. It
advises on matters such as the display and conservation of the works of art, decorative
schemes and furniture. The House of Lords Works of Art Committee is also continuing to
make acquisitions and considering future commissions. The House of Lords Works of Art
Committee operates on similar lines as the one of the House of Commons, purchasing works
of art from an acquisition budget. There is cross-party membership, and three members
constitute a quorum. Both Works of Art Committee receive advice from the professional
curatorial staff who manage and care for the Collection.
There are a c.500 loans in the Parliamentary Art collection, from both public and private
lenders. The majority of loans are long-term on 2-3 year renewable contracts. The Collection
is not currently formally valued.
The parliamentary art collection documents Parliament, its history, peoples, activities and
buildings, together with the UK landscape. It serves a number of purposes: the recording of
notable parliamentarians and historical events; the decoration of publicly accessible areas and
communal offices; the decoration of the historic palace; it is used extensively in Education
and Outreach projects to explain the role and history of Parliament; it is used in public
exhibitions in Parliament and is loaned to outside organisations for inclusion in their
exhibitions.
15
III. CONCLUSIONS
The main purpose of establishing art collections in the national assemblies seems to be the
decoration of the buildings (73%). The choice of artworks is often linked with the history of
the state, of the parliamentary life and democracy (43%). Moreover, some parliaments wish
to highlight the national artists and use art as a tool in dialogue with the citizens (30%). In
several cases the art collections are open to the public.
The decision-making procedures regarding the acquisition of works of art are very diverse.
The allocation of the artworks is often administrated by the house’s general management in
collaboration with art experts and/or interior designers. As for the decisions on purchases,
this is in many cases decided by a board of external art critics.
The majority of the artworks in the national parliaments' collections are purchases, with
consistent budget volumes in some cases. Some Parliaments suspended the purchases of
artworks due to the current economic climate (Italy, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain), while
others continue their programmes of purchasing art (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany,
Netherlands, Portugal, UK).
Loans are also an important way of obtaining artworks for display, often in collaboration
with national museums and galleries. Only few parliaments mentioned donations and art
commissioning as a source of obtaining artworks.
Some parliaments have a very thorough and important art policy, with professional collection
management, important yearly budgets and art professionals involved (Finland, Belgium,
Sweden, United Kingdom or Italy). Several Parliaments employ an art curator that organises
and manages the exhibitions and art projects. It is the case for Parliaments in Austria and
Finland.
To conclude, it seems that in almost all parliaments the art collection started small, and grew
over time to the proportions that required planning and management. In this sense, the story
of European Parliament art collection resembles the stories of most National Parliaments'
collections.
16