How one man has helped boost Wales’ contemporary art collection
Contemporary art: It’s a well known fact that the Davies sisters bequeathed more than 250 pieces of art to National Museum Wales following their deaths, including work by Monet, Cezanne and Van Gogh.
But another benefactor has also helped boost the nation’s contemporary art collection during the last two decades.
Exactly 20 years ago, the museum formed an agreement with the Derek Williams Trust. Set up in the former estate agent’s name, it manages the body of work he amassed over the years.
The keen Cardiff-born collector left more than 100 pieces by artists such as John Piper, Ceri Richards, Josef Herman and L S Lowry and he was adamant that it should go on show to the people of Wales.
The items now have a permanent home in the new contemporary wing at National Museum Cardiff – which received £300,000 in funding from the Derek Williams Trust – and the latest work to go on display is Riding In Water (Blue) by internationally renowned Scottish artist Peter Doig.
Since the new wing opened in 2011, visitor figures to the museum have grown by 29%.
The Trust also acquires new work by today’s emerging artists which means that Mr Williams’ collection continues to flourish almost 30 years after his death.
Mr Williams started collecting art during the late ’50s, with artists like John Piper and Ceri Richards catching his eye. But the bachelor didn’t tell anyone about his hobby.
“Derek Williams was an estate agent who was very interested in art and photography,” says Melissa Munro, who is the museum’s Senior Curator: Derek Williams Collection.
“Friends didn’t know about his collection as he kept it hidden away. His collection was exhibited at the Harold Roberts Gallery in Cardiff in 1969 in a show called The Possessors but it was exhibited under the pseudonym The Portland Collection.
“He was quite unassuming and quite often private collectors want to remain anonymous. He was a shy and humble person.”
Following his death in 1984, his accountant, Howard Evans, his secretary, Joan Winter, and his solicitor, Ivan Sadka, formed the Derek Williams Trust.
“He wanted the work to go on show at the national museum but he wanted it to be looked after by trustees rather than gifted to the museum. That’s why we started the agreement in 1993. The paintings are loaned to us long term and the Trust, which now has seven trustees, continues to add to the collection every year.”
The Trust’s focus is on collecting and displaying art made after 1900. It has a particular interest in the contemporary art of Wales and has assembled an outstanding collection of work by Welsh and international artists of the last two decades.
“Part of my job is to research works of art and bring them to the attention of the trustees who decide what to purchase,” says Ms Munro.
Since the agreement, the Trust has invested around £2.6m in the museum, which along with funding from bodies such as the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Art Fund, has transformed the modern and contemporary art collection. It now includes works by major artists such as Pablo Picasso, Stanley Spencer, David Hockney and Peter Blake, who opens his major Dylan Thomas exhibition, Llareggub, tomorrow.
The Derek Williams Trust is also valued by the wider contemporary art scene in Wales. When the Artes Mundi exhibition is held every two years, it offers a £30,000 purchase prize so the museum can acquire work from one of the shortlisted artists for its collection. The Trust has also supported Gold Medal winners at the National Eisteddfod as well as two major water features at the National Botanic Garden of Wales.
Ms Munro says the Trust’s support has been “invaluable” to the museum.
“We wouldn’t be able to do what we do today without the Trust’s help,” she admits. “It has transformed our contemporary collection and made it possible for us to create a new contemporary gallery. We have a very special relationship with the Trust which just gets stronger.”
So does she think Derek Williams would be pleased with the outcome?
“I think he would be incredibly proud. He could have sold off the work but he was concerned that it should go on show to the Welsh public. Not only is it now seen by a wide audience but it’s also growing in size every year. It’s a wonderful legacy.”
