National art collecting - Alyson Wilson

The National Arts Collections Fund was founded in 1903 and has since become Britain's leading charity in its field, helping British museums and galleries buy works of art to augment their collections. In 1993, the National Art Collections Fund celebrates its 90th anniversary with the publication of this book, a chronological guide to 90 of the most important or unusual works acquired with the support of the Fund.;Each of the 90 works of art illustrated in this anthology is accompanied by a quotation, chosen to stimulate the reader's interest in the artists and their work, along with a detailed description of the piece and an account of the history of its purchase. The selection forms a history both of the Fund and of taste in the collection of works of art in Britain. Furthermore, special labels with quotations from this book will be shown beside the selected works in museums and galleries throughout Britain for several months after publication.;The author is an art historian who has worked for the National Art Collections Fund on several major projects.