LONDON.- Art Fund and Garfield Weston Foundation have announced the latest round of exhibitions to be supported by the Weston Loan Programme — the first UK-wide grant programme designed to directly fund and empower smaller museums to borrow major works from national or major lending museums and galleries.

At a time of increasing pressure on museum finances the scheme supports practical costs associated with the display of nationally important works in places across the UK, often where they have a particular relevance for local audiences. The thirteen new recipients include: Crantown Museum in the Highlands, for an exhibition on the area’s influence on the Victorian painter Edward Landseer; The Box in Plymouth, for their celebration of the tricentenary of Joshua Reynolds who lived in Plymouth for a time; and North Hertfordshire Museum, for a show examining works created by the Camden Town Croup in nearby Letchworth Garden City.

Highlights of loans made possible through the programme, now in its fifth year, include:

More than twenty gladiatorial objects held by the British Museum, including the incredible Pompeii Murmillo gladiator helmet, which will be displayed at Colchester’s castle in its inaugural year as a city.

Richard Dodd’s ’Portrait of a Young Man’, on loan from Tate, will return to the Hospital in which it was painted — specifically, to Bethlem Museum of the Mind, located at the heart of Bethlem Royal Hospital in Beckenham. In his youth a rising star at the Royal Academy, Dodd spent over 40 years in high secure hospital environments labouring under murderous delusions that had led to the tragic death of his father.

Works by Hogarth, including the National Gallery’s Marriage-a-la-Mode and the Foundling Museum’s The March o(the Guards to Finchley, will be displayed at Derby Museum and Art Gallery alongside iconic portraits of the Stuarts from the National Portrait Callery. Allan Ramsay’s newly discovered portrait of Prince Charles Edward Stuart painted in Edinburgh will be on loan from Scottish National Galleries - the first time this work has returned to Derby since 1745.

A total of £295,190 has been awarded in this round, bringing the total so far to almost £1.3 million across 78 organisations since the scheme began in 2017.

The Weston Loan Programme has been shown to dramatically boost visitor numbers to smaller institutions - by an average of 40% pre-pandemic —and significantly widens the lending pool of objects from major collections. Its support has helped dozens of museums realise exhibitions with funding for transportation, conservation and training.

The programme not only widens access to objects from major collections for audiences across the country, but also aims to strengthen the skills of museum professionals, and distribute resources across the UK.

Sophia Weston, Trustee of the Garfield Weston Foundation, said: ”It is wonder[uI to see these precious objects and (antastic works of ad go to regional galleries and museums across the UK where they can be seen in a new light by new audiences. So many of these exhibitions explore heritage and culture connected to their local area. Enabling smaller organisations to tell these impodant stories in an ambitious way is central to the aims o(the programme.”

Art Fund’s Director, Jenny Waldman, said: “h/e’re so pleased that Weston Loan Programme has been able to support these exciting exhibitions that have real relevance to their local audiences. We know that these organisations sit at the head of the places they serve and we are grateful to our partner, Garfield Weston Foundation, (or their generosity in supporting this programme that has benefitted 78 organisations and their communities over the past seven years.“

Garfield Weston Foundation
Established over 60 years ago in 1958, the Garfield Weston Foundation is a family-founded, grant-making charity which supports causes across the UK and, in the most recent financial year, gave over £98 million. Since it was established, it has exceeded donations of more than £1.3 billion, of which well over half has been given in the past ten years.

One of the most respected charitable institutions in the UK, the Weston Family Trustees are descendants of the founder and they take a highly active and hands-on approach. The Foundation’s funding comes from an endowment of shares in the family business which includes Twinings, Primark, Kingsmill (all part of Associated British Foods Plc) and Fortnum & Mason, amongst others — a successful model that still endures today; as the businesses have grown, so too have the charitable donations.

Known for its transparency, flexibility and straightforward approach, the Foundation supports a broad range of charities from small community organisations to large national institutions. Over 2,000 charities across the UK benefit each year from the Foundation’s grants.

About Art Fund
Art Fund is the national fundraising charity for art. It provides millions of pounds every year to help museums to acquire and share works of art across the UK, further the professional development of their curators, and inspire more people to visit and enjoy their public programmes. Art Fund is independently funded, supported by the 130,000 members who buy the National Art Pass, who enjoy free entry to over 240 museums, galleries and historic places, 50% off major exhibitions, and receive Art Quarterly magazine. Art Fund also supports museums through its annual prize, Art Fund Museum of the Year. The winner of Art Fund Museum of the Year 2022 is London’s Horniman museum.