Art galleries in Luxembourg can vie to sell their works to the Ministry of Culture, which has issued a call for applications to add art to its growing collection of 700 works by around 300 artists.
The ministry since 1984 has been acquiring artworks in a bid to support artistic creation, artists and galleries as part of a dynamic cultural sector. The state’s collection also aims to improve the visibility of local artists and to protect and reinforce the appreciation of Luxembourg’s cultural heritage.
Since 2020, the ministry every year has called on the help of professional art galleries and artists to acquire pieces. This week, professional art galleries were invited to submit pieces for consideration, with the maximum value given at €23,000. Each gallery can submit up to three artists and three works per artist.
The candidates need to have a direct link to Luxembourg to be eligible, such as being a Luxembourg national, living in the country or having another established tie to the Grand Duchy.
Last year, the ministry bought 27 works by 24 different artists from a budget worth €150,000.
The state’s current collection amounts to 700 artworks from around 300 artists. The Ministry of Culture told the Luxembourg Times it could not indicate the value of the overall collection.
A second call for applications – directly from individual artists – will be published later this year.
Art pieces part of the collection are destined to be displayed in different state offices, such as ministries, administrations, embassies abroad, honorary consulates other other public buildings. They can also be loaned to museums or other cultural institutions.
A dedicated acquisitions committee will evaluate the proposals submitted. They aim to structure the collection in harmony with the evolution of the contemporary artistic landscape while paying attention to tutelary, recognised and emerging figures, the Ministry of Culture said in a press release.
The artworks need to reflect the diversity of the fields of contemporary creation while guaranteeing the relevance of the acquisitions. The acquisitions are also planned to be consistent with other public collections in the country.