Caroline Douglas (UK), Bertrand Coste (FR): “Private Philanthropy in Service to Public Collections. CAS (London)” talk // M17 Art Collectors’ Forum. Day IV [the video is available]

On July 10, 2021, at 16:00 event #11 in the M17 CAC, on the ІV Day of the M17 International Art Collectors’ Forum, there will be “Private Philanthropy in Service to Public Collections. Contemporary Art Society in London” talk held by Caroline Douglas (Great Britain) and Bertrand Coste (France).

Languages of the event: Ukrainian and English                                                   

Event format: mixed (videoconference Ukraine-Great Britain organized in the M17 CAC)

About speakers:

Caroline Douglas, Director of the Contemporary Art Society (CAS) in London, a charity that purchases important works of art to place in public collections across the UK. She previously headed the Arts Council Collection (2006–2013), curating solo shows with artists such as Bridget Riley, Anish Kapoor, and Gary Hume. As a curator of the Visual Arts Department of the British Council (from the early 1990s to 2006), she worked on touring exhibitions in Europe and India, as well as leading on purchases for the collection.

Bertrand Coste – Golden Patron, member of the Development Council of the Contemporary Art Society in London. Head of the Search Foundation, he finances the research group of the Institute of Archeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in the field of Eneolithic research in Eastern Europe, which has brought Ukrainian archaeology to the world level. Descendant and follower of the traditions of the de Menil family, who were ardent supporters and advocates of modern art.

Moderator:

Natalia Shpytkovska, Director of the M17 CAC, art consultant, a researcher at the Modern Art Research Institute of the National Academy of Arts of Ukraine, head of the project An Open Opportunity.

The full schedule of Forum events can be found at this link

UPD: A video of the event is available for viewing on our YouTube channel!

Key abstracts:

• The Society for Contemporary Art in London is entirely philanthropic. It only receives 10% of its funding from the state each year, and all remaining investments are provided by the Company’s patrons.
• The Society provides financial support to 72 British museums. They pay a modest fee to become members, but in exchange, they receive assistance from the Society to refill their collections.
• The Company occasionally holds fundraising events. It is also an efficient approach to collect cash for museums to acquire modern art.
• In the residence of Lady Ottoline Morrell in London, the Contemporary Art Society was formed in 1910. The first patrons then purchased a picture by Augustus John, “Laughing Woman,” for one guinea to the common fund.
• The Society’s secretaries varied throughout time. Sir Edward Marsh was followed by Lady Ottoline Morrell, who was followed by Pauline Vogelpoel. She was the one who turned the Society into a professional organization. Pauline provided a tradition of going overseas and supporting art outside of the United Kingdom.
• The Company currently possesses around 100 rounds of patrons. We have several levels of patronage: youthful patrons make a yearly donation of a million pounds. There are silver and gold patrons that provide 5,000 pounds each year. There are also “chancellors” who pay ten million pounds.
• Patrons of the Society frequently gather for meals in their own homes to showcase their personal collections.
• The Society hosts parties at artists’ studios twice a year. It is necessary for them to visit the creative studios of the artists they support.
• The Society frequently collaborates with the curators of the museums that we support. They have their own rules and strategies that dictate which pieces of art they require to supplement their collections. In truth, the firm is involved in procurement.

VIDEO OF THE EVENT:

• original language (English)

• Ukrainian translation

M17 International Art Collectors’ Forum was organized jointly with the Ukrainian Club of Contemporary Art Collectors and the Modern Art Research Institute of the National Academy of Arts of Ukraine within the “An Open Opportunity: Ukrainian Contemporary Art from Private Collections” project.