Leading independent charity The Art Fund has launched a new Art Saved section on its website. This exciting tool offers art lovers new ways to discover more about great works of art saved for the nation over the last century.
Charles Napier Hemy (1841-1917) – Along Shore Fisherman Oil on canvas Copyright Falmouth Art Gallery
Since it began in 1903, The Art Fund has helped to buy 860,000 works for over 600 museums and galleries around the UK , from Bronze Age artefacts in the British Museum to a portrait of Grace Jones currently on display in Inverness Museum and Art Gallery . Now, for the first time, people can search all works the charity has bought for the nation with an in-depth search facility, then find out where they are with The Art Fund’s Google map.
The new Art Saved section is a valuable source of information for anyone with an interest in art. Enthusiasts wanting to widen their knowledge or plan museum visits can search by keyword or theme, location or artist, to pull up key facts, view images and read detailed descriptions. They can also leave comments and see what other art lovers think in the new ‘Have your say’ feature.
Related works are displayed on each page, providing additional information about an artist, collection or museums in the area. Works are sorted by artist or institution, allowing a fan of Raphael’s Madonna of the Pinks at the National Gallery to easily browse other works at the Gallery and other Raphael masterpieces bought with The Art Fund’s help.
Another search option is ‘The Art Cloud’, a collection of artists’ names, media and genres arranged in a dynamic, three-dimensional, cloud-like form. The composition is altered by user searches and changes constantly, highlighting more popular as well as unusual works.
The Art Fund’s Google map takes advantage of the latest technology to show works which have been saved across the UK . If users want to see what The Art Fund has done in their local area, they need look no further than the hearts on the map, each marking a museum or gallery which has benefited from the charity’s work. A pop-up panel provides useful visitors’ information about the institution and its collection.
Andrew Macdonald, Acting Director of The Art Fund, said: “The Art Fund has helped to buy some of the nation’s greatest masterpieces, and this new and exciting resource underlines The Art Fund’s support of cultural institutions at both local and national level. Art Saved is an excellent resource for expanding art knowledge and planning gallery visits – it’s a fantastic tool for art-lovers nationwide.”
Art Saved has been developed by web design team Online Solutions, which also designed the microsite for The Art Fund’s campaign to save Turner’s Blue Rigi. Online Solutions have worked with other high-profile clients including the United Nations and The Guardian. Art Saved is compatible with iPhone and Blackberry, making it a convenient way for art enthusiasts to broaden their knowledge of art.
Visit the new Art Saved resource at www.artfund.org/artsaved.
The Art Fund is the UK’s leading independent art charity. It offers grants to help UK museums and galleries enrich their collections; campaigns on behalf of museums and their visitors; and promotes the enjoyment of art.
It is entirely funded from public donations and has 80,000 members. Since 1903 the charity has helped museums and galleries all over the UK secure 860,000 works of art for their collections.
Recent achievements include: helping secure Titian’s Diana and Actaeon for the National Galleries of Scotland and the National Gallery, London in February 2009 with a grant of £1 million; helping secure Anthony d’Offay’s collection, ARTIST ROOMS, for Tate and National Galleries of Scotland in February 2008 with a grant of £1million; and running the ‘Buy a Brushstroke’ public appeal which raised over £550,000 to keep Turner’s Blue Rigi watercolour in the UK.
