Christie’s to Host Non-Selling Show of Works from Arts Council Collection to Prove Art is ‘Vital Source within Society’

For the best part of a century, the Arts Council Collection has played a big hand in shaping the story of modern and contemporary British art. Founded in 1946 in the wake of the Second World War, it was established to support living artists and ensure that contemporary art could be seen across the UK. Today, it comprises more than 8,500 works by over 2,400 artists and continues to operate as what it describes as a ‘museum without walls’.

From June 3 to 21, the collection is marking its 80th anniversary in partnership with Christie’s London for a non-selling exhibition titled Close Encounters. It will bring together historic works and recent acquisitions that trace artistic dialogues across generations, and include paintings by David Hockney, Peter Doig, Michael Armitage, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Sonia Boyce, Claudette Johnson and Christina Kimeze.

Michael Armitage, Kariakor, 2015. Photo: White Cube (George Darrell) © Michael Armitage. Courtesy Arts Council Collection, Southbank Centre, London

The Arts Council is the UK’s public body for funding and supporting the arts, distributing government money to artists, galleries, museums and cultural organisations to sustain creative practice across the country. In England this role is carried out by Arts Council England, with equivalent bodies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Alongside grant-giving, it helps shape the cultural landscape by supporting major institutions and national programmes, including the Arts Council Collection.

While Christie’s is best-known as a hyper-commercial operation, over the last few years it has increasingly positioned itself as a cultural platform by hosting major non-selling, museum-quality exhibitions. They include last year’s Marwan: A Soul in Exile in London, which was the most extensive retrospective ever held for the late Syrian-German artist. The François Pinault Collection Showcase in Los Angeles, also in 2025, was another, and was a public exhibition of works selected from its owner François Pinault’s massive private collection.

Close Encounters will delve into themes like intimacy, sexuality, memory, landscape and representation.

These shows, free and open to the public, are designed to deepen institutional partnerships, support philanthropy and strengthen long-term relationships with collectors and audiences alike.

“One of the founding principles of the collection has always been to invest in artists at pivotal moments in their careers, often before they have received significant market or institutional recognition”, Alona Pardo, director of the Arts Council Collection, told The Art Journal.

The council says that philosophy has shaped the collection since its inception. Over the decades, it has acquired works by artists who would later become defining figures in British art, including Francis Bacon, Barbara Hepworth, Hockney, Tracey Emin and Steve McQueen. Close Encounters will include younger and emerging artists whose practices are helping define the current landscape of British painting and contemporary art.

Vanessa Raw, She sang me her song, 2025, purchased through the ACC Frieze Fund 2025 © Vanessa Raw. Courtesy Arts Council Collection, Southbank Centre, London

“What distinguishes the collection is this long-standing commitment to recognising artistic significance early, often before wider institutional or market recognition has followed”, Pardo said. “In many respects, the collection has therefore anticipated, and at times actively led, critical and market conversations, rather than simply responding to them”, Pardo explained.

She said the Arts Council has always wanted its collection to be seen across the country, “from the Scottish Borders to Penzance”, and not to be confined to a single institution or audience. “In that sense, the collection has always been inherently public-facing, something that continues to be demonstrated through its exceptionally active loan programme”.

The show at Christie’s will arrive during London Gallery Weekend and coincides with the launch of the Arts Council Collection x London Gallery Weekend Under 40 Acquisition Fund, a new initiative designed to support acquisitions from participating galleries.

“The collection’s enduring relevance lies in its ability to evolve alongside contemporary artistic practice”, Pardo added. “We currently have works on loan to institutions including MK Gallery, Wolverhampton Art Gallery and Grundy Art Gallery”.

Recent loans to exhibitions dedicated to Rose Wylie (at the Royal Academy) and Lucian Freud (at the National Portrait Gallery) have also recently returned to the collection.

Christina Kimeze, Carnival, 2025 © Christina Kimeze. Courtesy Arts Council Collection, Southbank Centre, London

Tessa Lord, head of post-war and contemporary art at Christie’s London, said the collaboration was part of Christie’s wider commitment to supporting contemporary artistic practice and public access to art.

“Close Encounters reflects Christie’s ongoing commitment to championing the power of art as a vital force within society”, she told The Art Journal. “In partnering with the Arts Council Collection on its 80th anniversary, we are proud to help amplify a legacy rooted in access, experimentation and support for living artists”.

Lord also described the Arts Council Collection as “one of the most significant and forward-thinking public collections of modern and contemporary British art”.

The exhibition is part of Christie’s Summer Season programme of exhibitions and events, all of which are free and open to the public.