About the Catalogue:
The beta version of this catalogue was launched in March 2022. We are adding works on an ongoing basis, with around 30% of the Collection currently online. If you have an enquiry about an artist or work not yet listed, please get in touch with us directly.
About our work:
Alongside managing the collection we deliver a varied programme of activity, including exhibitions, events, talks and lectures, artist development, residencies, scholarships, industry partnerships and more.
Please visit the main Art Collection website to find out more and keep up to date with our activity.
About the Collection:
The University of Salford Art Collection exists for the benefit of students, staff and the public. Founded in the late 1960s, it now includes over 800 modern and contemporary artworks. These are displayed on campus including at our New Adelphi Exhibition Gallery, as well as across the UK and internationally through our partnerships and loans to museums and galleries.
Early collecting mainly included post-war British painting, print-making, and photography, with a focus on works with a connection to Salford and Greater Manchester. Later, a number of works by the YBAs (Young British Artists) were acquired, alongside a special collection by expressionist painter Albert Adams.
Today, we acquire contemporary work under three key interconnected strands, introduced in 2013: About the Digital, From the North, and Chinese Contemporary Art. Aiming to tell a ‘story of now’, we work closely with sector partners such as Open Eye Gallery, Castlefield Gallery and Salford Museum and Art Gallery and local artist studios. We also work closely with the School of Arts, Media and Creative Technology to support students through providing real world experiences in the sector, such as our Portrait commissions, as well as our alumni through and beyond the Graduate Scholarship Programme.
We are actively acquiring new work, predominantly through our ‘commission to collect’ model – allowing us to work closely with artists at all career stages to develop new and ambitious work for permanent collection.
Artists in the Collection include: Laura Daly, Shezad Dawood, Rachel Maclean, Thomson & Craighead, Mishka Henner, Christian Marclay (About the Digital); Cao Fei, Li Binyuan, Yang Yongliang, Sun Xun, Lu Yang, (Chinese Contemporary Art); L.S. Lowry, Adolphe Valette, Sarah Hardacre, Rachel Goodyear, Hilary Jack, Cheddar Gorgeous (From the North); and Bridget Riley, Damien Hirst, Gary Hume (Print collection).
History and future of the Collection
To find out more about the history of our Collection, click here – or to find out the latest news, events and commission/acquisition announcements – including updates from our current Artist in Residence in the collection – head to our blog here.
Image Use & Copyright:
All images and materials on this site are copyright the artist, unless otherwise stated. Every effort has been made to trace the copyright holders and obtain permission to reproduce materials. Materials are provided here for reference and educational purposes only. Please contact us with any enquiries relating to this material or the rights holder, to request image use, or for further information.
Credits:
With thanks to Museums Photography North West during our digitisation programme.
Contact us:
All enquiries: artcollection@salford.ac.uk