Image: River Scene, South Shields by Laurence Stephen Lowry (Christies).jpg
The organisation’s tax schemes help UK museums and galleries to acquire more than £45m of artworks and objects including Lowry and Leighton masterpieces.
More than £45m worth of cultural objects were allocated to UK museums, galleries, libraries and archives over the span of 12 months as part of the Arts Council’s Acceptance in Lieu and Cultural Gifts Schemes.
The organisation’s latest annual report shows how between April 2023 and March 2024, items were allocated to cultural venues across the country.
Through its Acceptance in Lieu scheme, which allows those who have a bill for Inheritance Tax to pay the tax by transferring objects and archives to the nation, the organisation saw LS Lowry’s River Scene, Sunderland offered to Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens where it has been permanently allocated there.
Likewise, its Cultural Gifts Scheme enables UK taxpayers to donate important works of art and other heritage objects to public museums, galleries, libraries and archives to benefit the nation. In return, donors receive a tax reduction based on a set percentage of the value of the item they donate.
Objects involved in the scheme, according to the new report, included Sir Frederic, Lord Leighton’s Study for Flaming June. The only known preparatory oil sketch for the artist’s late masterpiece Flaming June, now recognised as one of his most famous and well-loved paintings, was allocated to Leighton House in London.
Sir Chris Bryant, UK Arts Minister, said: “Acquisitions under the Acceptance in Lieu and Cultural Gift schemes are on display in public buildings up and down the country, whether that be in a local museum where the artist once lived, giving residents access to a piece of their home soil’s history or in a national institution, giving people from around the world the opportunity to view a rare cultural object that provides valuable insight into our nation’s story.
Abi Shapiro, Curator at The Hepworth Wakefield, said the Cultural Gift Scheme “has had a significant impact on our ability to acquire high-quality work by major modern and contemporary artists. With no dedicated collecting fund, the museum relies on philanthropy to enhance Wakefield’s collection.”
The newly published report is available via the Arts Council website .
