Record year for objects acquired through the AiL and Cultural Gifts schemes 8 Oct 2019

The annual report of the Acceptance in Lieu and Cultural Gifts tax relief schemes for 2018 – 19 shows record results, with 46 objects or collections worth £58.6m being acquired for the nation. This is double the value of collections acquired in the previous year. The works included two major political archives created by Clement Atlee and Tony Benn, a collection of African textiles, Islamic ceramics, works by Damien Hirst and paintings including Sir Peter Paul Rubens’ ‘Portrait of Emperor Charles V’. Institutions receiving works through the schemes for the first time include The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the Museum of East Anglian Life, Towner Art Gallery, and Norfolk Record Office. Edward Harley, Chair of the AiL panel said “it is heartening to see that the list of first time allocatees continues to grow and that it has been a bumper year for high value items going outside the capital.” Arts Industry, ACE (whole report)