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In 2024, the Government Art Collection, in collaboration with Art UK and the University of Oxford, launched Picture This, a three-year research initiative that will measure the impact of visual literacy on young people's future success.

Take a look at the Government Art Collection's past projects and exhibitions.

Every year, for two decades, the Government Art Collection has worked with a museum or gallery collection from outside London to showcase artworks that celebrate a unique element of their collection in 10 Downing Street. Explore some of the regional museums and galleries who have taken part in this unique project.

Curated by the Government Art Collection, this display of works in the Watkins Room at the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office commemorates milestones in British LGBTQ+ history.

The Government Art Collection is 125 years old. From the earliest work by a female artist in the Collection, to more recent artwork by artists like Hew Locke and Bridget Riley, take a look at some of the works of art our curators have highlighted from this unusual national Collection.

Visit I Am Me, an exhibition of artworks from the Government Art Collection selected by 125 young people from Bradford, as part of the Bradford district’s year as UK City of Culture 2025.

Open now.

During the Second World War, the funding and provision of art for government buildings and embassies was paused. A small number of works were lost, damaged or destroyed as a result of the hostilities, with one exception.

Frank Auerbach always chose to paint subjects that were close to him.

In 2024, artist Denzil Forrester created a limited-edition print for the Government Art Collection that will be displayed in UK government buildings around the world.

In a partnership with London Gallery Weekend that began in 2024, the Government Art Collection acquires artworks from galleries participating in the event.

We sat down with artist Joanne Coates to talk about photography, storytelling and the North East.

We spoke to artist Ilana Halperin about her life as an artist and her fascination with geology and art – from volcanoes and meteorites to Iona marble.

The Collection's acquisition project, Art X-UK, continues collecting art by artists from Scotland and the North East.

23 artworks from the Collection hang on the walls of the British Ambassador’s Residence in San José. From historical prints to modern and contemporary art, the new display gives us an insight into the cultural and diplomatic connections between the UK and Costa Rica.

In celebration of Women’s History month, guest writer Riya Kumar has chosen five works of art from the Collection that play with ideas of women’s absence and presence, and shed light on moments of their resistance, reclamation and collectivity.

Every year, the Government Art Collection showcases the collection of a gallery outside London in 10 Downing Street. This year’s display comes from the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle.

To mark the anniversary of Ada Lovelace’s birth on 10 December 1815, learn about her legacy and explore how she continues to inspire contemporary artists today.

In 2023, the Government Art Collection commissioned artist Michael Armitage to create a limited-edition print that will be shown in UK government buildings around the world.

The Permanent Secretary to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport has appointed Sir Richard Heaton as the new Chair of the Advisory Committee on the Government Art Collection.

An artist whose work recently became part of the Government Art Collection, Rita Keegan is a key but overlooked figure in the history of Black British art. Keegan talks about her childhood, her start as an artist and how her identity has shaped the art she creates.

Celebrate South Asian Heritage Month (17 July – 18 August) with artworks in the Collection by artists from the South Asian diaspora.

Windrush Day 2023 marks 75 years since the arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush at Tilbury Docks, Essex on 22 June 1948. On board was one of the first large groups of post-war Caribbean immigrants to the United Kingdom. This pivotal moment in history has undeniably influenced knowledge, culture and industry across all levels of British society.

For the Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla, the Government Art Collection commissioned leading British and British-based artists right across the UK to create striking new artworks.

Visit these in a new exhibition in May 2025.

75 years ago, Sir Horace Phillips – the first British Jewish career ambassador – entered the diplomatic service. A new display of works from the Government Art Collection in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office celebrates his life and career.

Celebrate Women’s History Month with three works recently added to the collection by female artists who are shaping the face of British art.

Diplomatic relations between the UK and Switzerland were established in the early 19th century.

To mark February's LGBTQ+ History Month, we're highlighting historical examples in the Collection which illustrate attitudes and perceptions of queer relationships and gender in early modern England.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office is responsible for protecting and promoting the UK’s interests worldwide. In 2022, new works of art from the Government Art Collection went up on the walls of its iconic building in London.

Discover queer artists and art, the stories behind their lives and how they came into the Collection.

Every year, the Government Art Collection showcases a museum or gallery collection from outside London in 10 Downing Street. This year, these works are from the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery in Swansea.

We sat down with artist Christopher Samuel to discuss art and access for Disability History Month.

For the Robson Orr TenTen Award's fifth year, the Government Art Collection commissioned artist Rachel Whiteread to create a print that will be shown in diplomatic buildings around the world.

Countless depictions of the Queen gained iconic status during her reign. As we commemorate the monarch's life, we look at depictions of her in the Government Art Collection.

As the UK Prime Minister and Ukrainian President walked through the empty streets of Kyiv, a Ukrainian woman approached them and handed them two ceramic jugs in the shape of a rooster.

Have you ever thought that your face was a work of art? Curator and art writer Chiedza Mhondoro explores Sonia Boyce's The Audition in Colour.

2022 marked 40 years of full diplomatic relations between the UK and The Holy See.

Over 2020, the Government Art Collection collected new works by 45 visual artists from across the UK, celebrating and supporting the diversity of creativity across the Union.

The Collection's acquisition project, Art X-UK, continues over 2022–23 collecting art by artists from the East and West Midlands, and Wales.

During the 18th century, diplomatic relations between the UK and Turkey were formalised. A new display of works of art in the British Ambassador’s Residence in Ankara tells the story of this historic engagement, and follows the countries' shared histories.

As part of the celebrations surrounding the coronation, over a hundred works of art were commissioned or purchased by the Ministry of Works from early 1953 to 1954. Explore these works in the Government Art Collection, from artists like L.S. Lowry, Laura Knight and Barbara Horridge.

In 1953, L.S. Lowry was appointed an official artist at the coronation of Elizabeth II. He could not imagine why he was chosen to capture such a grand occasion.

Coronations have always provided artists the opportunity to document the ceremonies and celebrations in their art. Discover art and artists inspired by Queen Elizabeth II's 1953 coronation and learn more about the contemporary artists who created works of art for King Charles III and Queen Camilla's coronation in 2023.

In 1796, leading artists from the Royal Academy fell victim to an incredible hoax about an art masters' secret, masterminded by Ann Jemima Provis.

Whether you are in London or joining virtually at home, take a tour of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation procession through the eyes of major artists of the day, starting with L.S. Lowry's view of Buckingham Palace, all the way to Westminster Abbey.

As part of Coventry UK City of Culture 2021, the Government Art Collection helped transform Coventry city centre's shop windows into a public museum.

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In 2021, Lubaina Himid CBE was awarded the Robson Orr TenTen Award 2021 for her print commission Old Boat, New Weather.

Curator Laura Popoviciu takes a closer look at George Vertue's 18th-century print that celebrates the Peace of Utrecht.

In 2008, Lucian Freud came to the headquarters of the Government Art Collection to revisit his work Welsh Landscape, painted between 1939 and 1940.