British Art Collection to Open to the Public for One Day

LONDON—On Saturday, May 17, England's little-known Government Art Collection will open for free public tours as part of museums and galleries month, the Guardian reports. The collection of thousands of works of art, including pieces by Lucian Freud, L. S. Lowry, and Grayson Perry, is managed by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, and pieces are drawn from it to adorn the walls and spaces of government buildings, politicians' and diplomats' offices, and British embassies abroad.

For this reason, the collection has never been grouped together in one place. The first illustrated catalog, which lists only oil paintings, was published just last year, though the collection originated in 1898. In Victorian times, wallpaper was expensive, and the Office of Works, after agreeing to take responsibility for the art scattered throughout government offices, was given £300 a year by the treasury to buy art as a way of postponing office renovations.

Reservations for tours must be pre-booked through the culture department.