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This institution also provides a list of works with incomplete provenance during the period 1933-1945.
THE WHITWORTH ART GALLERY
Designated collection
The University of Manchester
Oxford Road
Manchester
M15 6ER
Contact
Dr Jennifer Harris, Acting Director
David Morris, Head of Collections
Tel: 0161 275 7450
Fax: 0161 275 7451
E-mail:
Jennifer.Harris@manchester.ac.uk
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF COLLECTION
- Fine Art with an emphasis on works on paper, principally British.
- World Textiles from 3rd to 21st century.
- Wallpapers and wallhangings, 17th to 21st centuries, principally British.
The Whitworth was originally intended to be a museum of industrial art and design, partly with the aim of inspiring and improving Manchester's textile design and production. For this reason, Sir Charles Robinson's collection of textiles was purchased for the gallery in 1891. However, as wealthy local collectors began to present gifts of British watercolours and European prints, the emphasis of the collections gradually shifted towards fine art, rather than industrial design and crafts. The gift of a collection of historic wallpapers from The Wall Paper Manufacturers in 1967 to some extent redressed the overall balance of the collections. Nowadays, although some oil painting and sculpture is represented in the collection (particularly for the modern period), the Gallery sees itself primarily as a specialist centre for the study and display of fine art works on paper, textiles and wallpaper.
1. OVERALL PLANS
PARTS OF COLLECTION EXCLUDED
- Multiples: Prints, Printed and Woven mass-produced Textiles, Wallpapers
- Works acquired by donor or testator before 1933
- Works created after 1945
- Works with an exclusively British provenance
INITIAL FOCUS FOR RESEARCH
We are prioritising research into the following objects acquired from 1933:
- Non-British oil paintings (Published January 2003)
- Non-British sculpture (Published January 2003)
- Non-British drawings (To be published in 2006)
- Non-British carpets (Research on these carpets will begin in 2006 and the results will be published on completion)
- Non-British tapestries (Research on these tapestries will begin in 2006 and the results will be published on completion)
TIMESCALE FOR RESEARCH
2002-2004, tied in with DCF funded programme of cataloguing, and 2004-2006 ongoing.
2. RESEARCH PLANNED IN TARGET AREAS
METHOD OF RESEARCH
This will include both work on an on-going inventory and separate checks. Our collection information system, KE Emu, is being used to create a shortlist of relevant objects, followed by a search into manual records comprising old record cards and object files.
3. INFORMATION ON MAKING GENERAL ENQUIRIES ABOUT COLLECTION
Those works with unknown or incomplete provenance in the period 1933-46 will be published on the websites of the National Museum Directors Council and the Whitworth from January 2003 for Non-British oil paintings and sculpture; and from January 2006 for Non-British drawings. Any enquiries to The Whitworth Art Gallery should be directed to David Morris, Head of Collections, David.Morris@manchester.ac.uk, or Angela Conley, Marketing Officer, Angela.Conley@manchester.ac.uk
ARCHIVES OF THE WHITWORTH ART GALLERY
Archives relating to the collections are divided between curatorial sections (Fine Art, Textiles and Wallpapers). These comprise old record cards, object files, departmental exhibition records, loans in, and acquisition registers. Researchers wishing to consult any archival material relating to the Gallery's collection are advised to contact curatorial staff in the relevant department.
Requests for access to general Gallery archives should be addressed in the first instance to the Acting Director.
PRESS OFFICE CONTACT DETAILS
Angela Conley,
Marketing Officer,
Tel: 0161 275 7472
Angela.Conley@manchester.ac.uk
WEBSITE