British Council Collection

The British Council Collection comprises almost 9,000 works of art, craft and design showcasing the best of UK-based contemporary visual artists from the 20th and 21st centuries.

The British Council has been collecting works of art since 1938 and our Collection now comprises almost 9,000 paintings, prints and drawings, sculpture, photography and multi-media artworks showcasing the best of UK-based contemporary visual artists. 

We use our Collection to facilitate debate on global issues through our Visual Arts programme. We lend works from the Collection in the UK and internationally, and care for and research the Collection from our workshop in London.

We're working on building a new online home for the Collection, which is coming soon. In the meantime, you can explore a selection of works from the Collection on Art UK.