Gender bias in Government Art Collection?

Is there a gender bias in the Government's Art Collection in terms of the percentage acquisition of artwork by male artists?

The Guardian today accuses the government of having a very marked gender bias in terms of recent acquisitions

Here's the accusations (as alleged/reported in The Guardian)

In 'Institutional' male bias in government's art collection, says Labour

• 265 works by men and just 80 by women were collected over the last five years for which data is available, between 2011-2012 and 2015-2016
• more than 70% of works acquired during the period were by male artists - even after bulk acquisitions of work by male artists are excluded
• re. works purchased (rather than donated) between 2011/12 to 2015/16, more than 70% were created by male artists and 27% by female artists, with the rest unknown or made collectively by studios.
• the government’s art collection was 'not setting the right example.'

This issue is gathering pace. The Guardian also commented on it last year.

Guardian research showed last year a strong gender imbalance in works displayed in commercial and public galleries. Female artists account for just 4% of the National Gallery of Scotland’s collection; 20% of the Whitworth Manchester’s and 35% of Tate Modern’s collections. Only 33% of the artists representing Britain at the Venice Biennale over the past decade have been women.

Looking for some leadership within the ranks.....

Frances Morris, the director of Tate Modern, who has said its permanent collection representing 335 female artists compared with 959 male artists is “just not good enough”, would not comment on the government art collection or its acquisitions policies.

Here's the links to the reports on recent acquisitions

Below are links to the reports where you can read the names of the artists whose work has been bought by the Government

GAC Annual Report and Acquisitions Lists (Adobe Acrobat PDF format.)

• GAC Annual Report and Acquisitions List 2015-2016 (PDF 1.3mb)
• GAC Annual Report and Acquisitions List 2014-2015 (PDF 1.8mb)
• GAC Annual Report and Acquisitions List 2013-2014 (PDF 1.4mb)
• GAC Annual Report and Acquisitions List 2012-2013 (PDF 2.2mb)
• GAC Annual Report and Acquisitions List 2011-2012 (PDF 1.9mb)
• GAC Annual Report and Acquisitions List 2010-2011 (PDF 1.4mb)
• GAC Annual Report and Acquisitions List 2009-2010 (PDF 1.2mb)
• GAC Annual Report and Acquisitions List 2008-2009 (PDF 1.5mb)
• GAC Annual Report and Acquisitions List 2007-2008 (PDF 1.1mb)
• GAC Annual Report and Acquisitions List 2006-2007 (PDF 861kb)
• GAC Annual Report and Acquisitions List 2005-2006 (PDF 937kb)
• GAC Annual Report and Acquisitions List 2004-2005 (PDF 196kb)
• GAC Annual Report and Acquisitions List 2003-2004 (PDF 111kb)
• GAC Annual Report and Acquisitions List 2002-2003 (PDF 240kb)
• GAC Annual Report and Acquisitions List 2001-2002 (PDF 165kb)
• GAC Annual Report and Acquisitions List 2000-2001 (PDF 225kb)
• GAC Annual Report and Acquisitions List 1999-2000 (PDF 260kb)
• GAC Annual Report and Acquisitions List 1997-1999 (PDF 261kb)

The official DCMS Comment

Add caption

A DCMS spokesperson said: 

“The government art collection is a strong supporter of women artists. Almost half the artists that had work purchased by the GAC [Government Art Collection] between 2011 and 2016 were women, and it will continue to promote a diverse range of British artists that have a strong connection with our country.”

So obviously people are reading different reports, or comparing apples and pears or can't add up.

Or are we talking about one figure (The Guardian) relating to ARTWORKS and another (DCMS) relating to ARTISTS?

So it looks like it's "apples and pears".

The distinction between purchases and donations

Certainly the report suggests a number are donations.

That's because being able to say your work is included in a government collection enables you to hike your prices to the ordinary art collector - because you now have added 'street cred.'
I like to think - but don't know - that the acquisition process includes a means of vetting whether the artist and the artwork are any good.

Otherwise one might suspect artists of getting rid of artwork that won't sell...

Or it is taking up space needed for other artwork.

What's also needed is transparency over the cost of acquisition

In the spirit of transparency which applies to ALL contractual transactions and ALL salaries over a certain amount in the public sector, we should also be able to monitor the amount spent on artworks and artists by gender.

The sums spent are in the listings - but nobody is totting them up.

Also the values of artwork transferred from HMRC in payment of death duties is NOT currently stated

Just to be fair to everybody - and accountable to the punters who pay the taxes which buys the art I think the GAC could go the extra mile....

The Solution

The solution is:

• the government acquisition's policy needs to be explicit as to gender issues
• the GAC Reports need to be explicit as to:
• number and percentage of ARTWORKS acquired - re gender
• number and percentage of ARTISTS whose work was bought - re. gender
• numbers and percentages re. purchases and donations
• the value and percentage of SPEND - by gender (including the transfer values with respect to artist's estates)

ALL publicly funded services ought to be accountable based on 

• the same standards applicable to the expenditure of public money elsewhere and 
• the conduct of public services.

REFERENCE: Previous posts

• The Government Art Collection
• Art of the state - and the state of the art
• Your Paintings

Artie and Foodie in Rome

Andrew Graham-Dixon and Giorgio Locatelli in Rome
- being arty and foodie

If you like Italian painting and Italian food (what's not to like!) - in the company of Andrew Graham-Dixon and Giorgio Locatelli - then you'll probably want to watch Rome Unpacked.

This is the latest of their joint ventures travelling around Italy sampling the food and the art - Giorgio shows Andrew the food of the different areas and Andrew introduces Giorgio to some of the places to see great art.

Tonight they're in Rome - on a moped!

Giorgio and I are back on the telly tonight! https://t.co/UiYzVaGlUC

— Andrew Graham-Dixon (@AndrewGrahamDix) January 5, 2018

Galerie in Palazzo Farnese in Rome

Links below are to video clips of the programme - or places mentioned.

• Giorgio's contribution is to 
• takes Andrew to Garbatella, Italy's first garden suburb - vibrant market stalls and village architecture
• takes him to the San Giovanni di Dio market
• introduce him the simplest Roman food 
• gets Nabil the cook at Roscioli to show him how spaghetti carbonara should really be made - 'add cream and I'll kill you'.
• Andrew shows Giorgio 
• what Andrew thinks is one of the best paintings in the world: Caravaggio’s ‘The Conversion of Saint Paul’ - the moment on the road to Damacus when he becomes a Christian
• plus takes him to the Palazzo Farnese to see an iconic mural on the ceiling La Dolce Vita - an iconic Baroque painting - this is the clip.

The programme is on BBC2 tonight starting at 9pm - and then on iPlayer for (I guess) at least the next 28 days.

Call for Entries - RA Summer Exhibition 2018 - the 250th Anniversary one!

Digital entries for the 2018 Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts can start being submitted online from tomorrow - 4th January 2018.

Grayson Perry is in charge of co-ordinating the exhibition this year which should make it very interesting - and also suggests that possibly we might see some works which have not made it past the selection panel in the past.

My New Years resolution is to look at more art. It could be yours. Go on have a go! Submit to the 250th anniversary RA summer exhibition https://t.co/4CnpEqP6Wu

— Grayson Perry (@Alan_Measles) January 1, 2018

NEW! Theme of this year’s exhibition is "Art Made Now"

Grayson Perry wants to ‘show the diversity of work being made in this moment’ - and is encouraging artists to submit only work made in 2017/18.

“Fellow artists! 2018 marks the 250th anniversary of the Royal Academy, so the Summer Exhibition will celebrate a quarter of a millennia of artistic innovation. As coordinator, I have decided that the theme of the show will be ‘Art Made Now’. I want to champion the democracy of the exhibition and show off the diversity of art being made in this moment, so I encourage you to submit works that you have made in 2017/18. I am also planning a special ‘Room of Fun’ in a newly built part of the Academy, so the committee may well look favourably on artworks that we find amusing.”

I wasn't a big fan of last year's summer exhibition (see Does the RA Summer Exhibition still have the WOW factor?) - but I really like the alternative perspectives that Grayson Perry comes up with - and I like the theme and the notion of a "room of fun" - so I'm very hopeful of a bit of WOW this summer.

Installation view of Summer Exhibition 2017 © John Bodkin/DawkinsColour

Plus this Summer Exhibition is the one in the RA's 250th anniversary year - so a very good one to be in!

The RA will also be celebrating the history of the Summer Exhibition for the last 250 years through the Great Spectacle exhibition - of which more in due course!

This is being held in The John Madejski Fine Rooms, Weston Rooms, Galleries I and II - which means some of the galleries normally used for the Summer Exhibition will be used for this exhibition instead. I expect the RA might want to show off their newly transformed RA campus which will be opening in May 2018 (fingers crossed).

The banner image for the Great Spectacle | RA website

Ever since 1769, and at a succession of locations ranging from Pall Mall to Piccadilly, the Academy’s exhibition rooms have been crowded for some two months each year with hundreds of paintings and sculptures produced by many of Britain’s leading artists.

This post is for:

• for those who have NOT submitted before; 
• for those who have need a reminder of what they need to do; and 
• all those who need to be reminded why entry to the exhibition effectively closes BEFORE the deadline! 

I do this LONG POST every year. It covers the complete process

• The Call for Entries Process 
• who can enter 
• what you can enter 
• the website and key documents you need to know about 
• how to enter: the timeline and process 
• how the RA helps prospective entrants make a good job of their entry 
• why it's important not to delay making a start on your application 
• The Selection Process 
• how it works 
• Who's doing the selection and hang this year 
• who's chairing the Panel (and I met her and had a chat at the back end of last year) 
• The Summer Exhibition - including 
• links at the end to my previous reviews of Summer Exhibitions at the RA - which include images so you can see what you're up against. 
• PLUS TIPS: how not to get caught out - things to beware of and things to think about 

If I've spotted any changes or anything NEW I'll also highlight it below in the relevant section.

If you've spotted a change that I haven't please leave a comment!

Call for Entries Process - who/what/how and FAQs

The Basics of HOW to Enter

Go get your favourite cuppa and let's tackle the basics - and then the rest......

RIP - Art World Deaths in 2017

Before we move on into 2018, this is a look back at those  we lost from the world of art in 2017. 

Below are the videos, articles and blog posts created about the lives and artwork of those in the art world who died in 2017.

It's not everybody of course. If I don't know the name they're not included - and this list also has a very UK bias.

Those listed below are:

• John Berger (1926-2017)age 90
• Sir Howard Hodgkin (1932-2017) age 84
• Pandora Sellars (1936-2017) age 80
• Khadija Saye (1992-2017) age 24
• Bernard Dunstan (1920-2017) age 97
• David Shepherd (1931-2017) age 86

Note the ages!
Looks like being an artist is a recipe for a long life.... unless you die a tragic death....

January

John Berger

Blog posts:

• John Berger (1926 - 2017) Videos and Obituaries

Articles:

• BBC News - John Berger, art critic and author of Ways of Seeing, dies
• The Guardian - 
• John Berger, art critic and author, dies aged 90
• A life in quotes: John Berger‎
• Adrian Searle on John Berger: 'Art for him was never apart from being alive'
• The Telegraph - Booker prize-winning author John Berger dies aged 90
• The Independent - John Berger dead: Booker Prize-winning author and art critic dies age 90
• RECOMMENDED: Apollo Magazine - John Berger (1926–2017)

March

Sir Howard Hodgkin RA

Howard Hodgkin

Howard Hodgkin died on 9th March 2017 aged 84

Sir Gordon Howard Eliot Hodgkin CH CBE (1932 – 2017) was a British painter and printmaker. (his website)

Howard Hodgkin is widely regarded as one of Britain’s greatest artists and has been a central figure in contemporary art for over half a century. (Tate Press Release)

Articles:

• Turner Prize-winning artist Howard Hodgkin dies aged 84 | The Telegraph
• Painter Howard Hodgkin dies aged 84 | The Guardian
• Sir Howard Hodgkin obituary: One of Britain's greatest abstract painters of the post-war period | The Independent - RECOMMENDED a  very interesting read

Painting was his life-long passion, of course – he knew that he wanted to be a painter and nothing but a painter from the age of five, immediately after he had drawn a picture of a woman with a red face and bushy hair – but he always found it difficult to talk about that which consumed him until his dying day.

• How to be an artist by Howard Hodgkin - this is an amazingly GOOD READ
• Howard Hodgkin's personal hoard of art to be auctioned | The Guardian - on the basis you can read a person by the books on their shelves, it's always interesting to view the artwork collected by an artist over the years

The discreet exterior of Howard Hodgkin’s London home gave you no indication of the richness within

• Sir Howard Hodgkin: Turner winner who 'hated painting' dies at 84 | BBC News (Entertainment and Arts)
• The secret life of Sir Howard Hodgkin | BBC News (Entertainment and Arts)

Other

• website https://howard-hodgkin.com/
• Exhibitions in 2017:
• Absent Friends National Portrait Gallery, London from 23 March – 18 June 2017 - portraits by Hodgkin,
• Painting India Hepworth Wakefield from 1 July to 8 October 2017 - exploring the influence of India on the artist’s work, at the  
• Howard Hodgkin: India on Paper Victoria Art Gallery, Bath from 14 October 2017 – 7 January 2018

May

Pandora Sellars (1936-2017)

Pandora Sellars, whose paintings played a key role in the resurgence of botanical art in the UK - and across the world - died last week in her home county of Herefordshire.

Tribute to Pandora Sellars in the Herbarium at Kew

Blog posts:

• Pandora Sellars - an appreciation of a great botanical artist | Botanical Art and Artists News
• Kew Commemoration of Pandora Sellars at Herbarium | Botanical Art and Artists News
• Pandora Sellars (1936-2017) | Making A Mark
• Remembering Pandora Sellars | Traditional Botanicals

Webpage

Pandora did not have a website, however I've built a web page in her memory.

Other

• Justgiving - Pandora Sellars Snowdrop appeal 

June

Khadija Saye (1992-2017)

Still from the BBC Three Video Short
Khadija Saye: the artist who tragically died in Grenfell Tower

Blog posts

Let's celebrate the work of Khadija Saye

Articles

• Khadija Saye: artist on cusp of recognition when she died in Grenfell | The Guardian
• Among the victims, my kind, funny friend Khadija Saye, and her mum | The Guardian
• Grenfell Tower fire: 24-year-old artist Khadija Saye named as victim | The Independent
• Khadija Saye's art is on display at Tate Britain in memory of the Grenfell Tower victims | The Independent
• Obituary: Khadija Saye, fast-rising artist killed tragically young in Grenfell Tower | British Journal of Photography
• In Memoriam: Khadija Saye |Frieze

Other

• website: http://www.sayephotography.co.uk/
• Memorial Fund https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/khadija-saye-memorial-fund 
• Her work will be part of the reopening show of Kettle's Yard in Cambridge from 10 February

Videos

August

Bernard Dunstan RA PPRWA NEAC (1920 - 2017)

Bernard Dunstan RA, PPRWA, NEAC, the longest serving Royal Academician, died at the age of 97 on 20th August 2017.

Blog posts

• Bernard Dunstan RA PPRWA NEAC (1920 - 2017) | Making A Mark
• Bernard Dunstan NEAC RA RWA PS Hon (1920-2017) | NEAC

Newspaper articles

• Bernard Dunstan Obituary | The Guardian
• Bernard Dunstan, painter and veteran Royal Academician – obituary | The Telegraph

Other

• RA Page: Bernard Dunstan
• Art UK - 49 Painting(s) by Bernard Dunstan - in public ownership - I confess I always found his paintings very BROWN and thought he could learn a thing or two from his wife about the use of colour!

Videos

 This one is of Bernard Dunstan talking about the selection process for the Royal Academy of Art's world-renowned Summer Show

 

September

David Shepherd (1931-2017)

The death of David Shepherd CBE FRSA, the conservationist and renowned painter of planes, trains and wildlife, was announced by his family via his Foundation website on 19th September 2017, age 86. He was known as the man who liked painting - and saving - big things like "jumbos and locomotives".

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of wildlife artist and conservationist David Shepherd, FRSA, CBE https://t.co/swkkLirR0n pic.twitter.com/j37JAYoQRj

— David Shepherd DSWF (@TheDSWF) September 20, 2017

Blog posts

• David Shepherd (1931-2017) | Making A Mark
• David Shepherd FGRA 25th April 1931 – 19th Sept 2017 | The Guild of Railway Artists

Newspaper articles

• David Shepherd: Artist and conservationist sneered at by critics but whose work sold in droves | The Independent
• David Shepherd, Who Both Painted and Preserved Wildlife, Dies at 86 | New York Times
• David Shepherd obituary | The Guardian
• David Shepherd – legendary wildlife artist dies aged 86 | The Express
• David Shepherd, wildlife artist – obituary | The Telegraph (paywall)

Website

• https://davidshepherd.org/news/david-shepherd-cbe-1931-2017

Videos

The Top 10 Art Blog Posts of 2017 - on Making A Mark

This is a blog post about the most popular blog posts on Making A Mark in 2017 - in two categories

• normal posts about art - which tend to highlight viral posts and art competitions
• posts about art on television - which always get a big audience

The Top 10 Blog Posts about Art on Making A Mark in 2017

I'm forever amazed at how some blog posts take off and become viral whereas others that I thought would be popular did less well than I expected.

Top art competitions are very popular - but very 'individual' posts also gained a lot of prominence and went viral in 2017

1.  Let's celebrate the work of Khadija Saye - It's very poignant that the top post should be about Khadija Saye when:

• her life and work is now associated with an event to celebrate (when her work appeared in the Diaspora Pavilion in Venice) and 
• her death will be forever remembered and associated with 2017 - the Grenfell Tower fire in which she died.  

2.  NOT selected by an art competition or open exhibition? - I'm not surprised this comes near the top. It's a perennial favourite - and now listed in my side column as well.
Interestingly I've been asked for and provided written advice to artists in 2017 regarding suitability of their artwork for different competitions.

3.  RA Summer Exhibition 2017 - Call For Entries - a perennial favourite - and I've already got the blog post re. 2018 in draft!  Keep your eyes peeled for when I post it on Facebook, or - even better - sign up to get an email every time this blog publishes a post.

4.  BP Portrait Award 2017 - The Shortlist - The BP Portrait Award is one of the most popular of the international painting competitions in the world every year. Little wonder therefore that the publication of the shortlist ranks high!  Interestingly this one was for the mobile version of this post so I'm guessing there was quite a bot of sharing going on....

5.  10 Best Paintings in the Sunday Times Watercolour Exhibition - While the Sunday Times Watercolour Competition is another very popular art competition in the UK, I suspect my decision to vary how I wrote about it (given the painting that won) made this one rather popular. I had a LOT of people writing to me afterwards saying they completely agreed.  It started as follows.....

This year I'm not doing a post that announces the prizewinners in the Sunday Times Watercolour Competition 2017. That's because

• the painting which won is in acrylic on canvas board and is actually eligible for acceptance into the annual exhibition of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters! 

• I have rarely felt so disappointed in the conduct of a panel of judges.

I'm left wondering when are we ever going to discover the next Leslie Worth if we give this prestigious competition over to people who paint with acrylic on canvas not paper so it looks like an oil painting?

this competition aims to celebrate and reward excellence and originality in the genre of watercolour painting.

6.  BP Portrait Award Exhibition 2017 - Selected Artists - I find it fascinating to look up all the websites of the selected artists so I can leave a link to them embedded in their names. It's a major treat to see so many different ways that artists approach portraiture. If you've not taken a look at the websites of those who were selected last year, I recommend you take a look.  Don't forget these are the ones who got through all the earlier rounds are are part of these stats - and these realistically are your chances of getting selected if you enter this year. Except for the fact that the number entering increases every year.....

• In terms of entries, out of the 2,580 entries from all over the world

• 1,214 Entries came from the UK - England, Scotland and Wales (47%)

• 1,366 Entries came from 84 other countries(53%)

• 218 paintings (8.4%) of the original entries made it through to the final judging session at Trinity Buoy Wharf. 

• The judges then reduced this number to their selection of the final 53 for the exhibition (representing 2% of the total number of entries).

Some of this year's selected artists in the BP Portrait Exhibition 2017 at the National Portrait Gallery
L to R: Honest Thomas by Alan Coulson; Jessica by Laura Quinn Harris; Tabitha Moses with Gilda, Liverpool by Hero Johnson; Matt Berry by Martyn Burdon; A Russian Artist in China by Bao Han

7. Watercolour paintings of flowers sell well - This was a post I'd been meaning to write for ages.  Worth repeating why I wrote it - especially to those women who paint flowers but somehow think that watercolour competitions and watercolour art societies wouldn't be interested in what they produce. This is a problem with issues on both the supply and demand sides - and in my opinion, both need to think a bit more about what the public like to see and buy!

Flower paintings are hugely popular with the public. Watercolour paintings of flowers also sell well - particularly when executed by experts.

I find it such a pity that leading open exhibitions of watercolour paintings (by the RWS, RI and Sunday Times Watercolour Competition) don't include more paintings of plant life in general and flowers in particular.

I'd love to know why there's a dearth of flower paintings in watercolour shows - when some of the best watercolour painters in the country paint flowers!

Watercolour Paintings by Rosie Sanders at the Johnathan Cooper Park Walk Gallery

8. Training the Eye - Teaching to Look - This was about hugely informative and stimulating video I came across - about how to get artists to really look. One of those which is ALWAYS worth watching again.

9. BP Portrait Award 2017: Artists with their paintings - One of the things I enjoy doing most is publishing posts on this blog of the artists who got selected - even if they didn't win a prize.  That's because just getting selected is an honour and something to be celebrated!  This post highlights some of the artists who got selected for the BP - including three of those whose art is shown on the wall of the National Portrait Gallery above.
Plus showing people that selected artists look just like you and me means more people may get up the gumption to 'have a go' next year. Well next year starts tomorrow.....

Hero Johnson with her painting - selected for the BP portrait Award in 2017

10. Sunday Times Watercolour Competition 2017 - Selected Artists -  This post includes the names of the 78 artists whose 87 paintings and sketchbooks in watercolour media were exhibited in the 30th Exhibition at the Mall Galleries between 19 - 24 September 201 2017. Links to their websites are embedded in their names - why not take a look at the work of artists selected for this exhibition in 2017?

A corner of the Sunday Times Watercolour Exhibition 2017 at the Mall Galleries
- not including the winner (as explained above)

Let's hope that in 2018, in order to avoid the debacle in 2017, the rules reflect suggestions I had

Eligible media includes any water-based media, which includes acrylic, inks and gouache (note it does NOT state that watersoluble oil paint is acceptable!). My own feeling is that it should also state that all works should be on paper - but it doesn't. It would also be nice if the rules made it clear that sketchbooks are also eligible for submission.

Addendum re. art competitions and open exhibitions

I also provide good coverage of the annual exhibitions of the national art societies on this blog.

It's worth noting that none of the national art societies generated the same level of interest or traffic as some of the art competitions.

This year I've also been monitoring the ratio of members to work from the open entry selected for the open exhibitions - with a round-up post for 2017 still to come.

Arising out of that I RECOMMEND:

• ARTISTS give more thought as to whether art society open exhibitions or art competitions are going to generate:
• a better chance of selection and/or 
• a better profile for their art
• ART SOCIETIES need to think some more about 
• the ratio of work by members to work selected from the open entry in their annual OPEN exhibitions
• how to improve their communication and marketing of both the call for entries of their open exhibition opportunity and the exhibition itself so as to improve both the quantity and quality of the artwork - and the sustainability of the society over time.

In 2017 I reverted to publishing Calls for Entries for the open art exhibitions of the National Art Societies - as well as the major art competitions. This will continue in 2018 and I'm also going to continue monitoring the percentage of the annual open exhibitions.

The Top 10 'Art on TV' Blog Posts of 2017

I should preface the listing of these posts by saying I get emails from Sky about their programmes BUT I don't subscribe to Sky and consequently can't see their programmes. I suspect the same applies to rather a lot of those who read my blog.