Touring exhibitions
Museum-quality exhibitions organised with the ministry of culture, travelling to museums and cultural venues in several cities across the country.
A non-profit foundation by TheArt.fund
Museum-quality exhibitions, touring emerging countries
We work with ministries of culture to organise touring exhibitions that travel from city to city across their country. Each one brings works from the TheArt.fund collection, shown to museum standards, alongside new work by local artists. Entry is always free.
Museum
Standards for climate, security and care at every venue
Touring
Several cities in each host country
Free
Entry for every visitor
From the TheArt.fund collection
Our mission
Art as a shared public resource
TheArt.foundation exists to widen access to significant art. Many regions have growing cultural ambition but limited access to international collections, often because of the cost of loans, insurance and logistics.
Working with ministries of culture and local institutions, we organise touring exhibitions of works from the TheArt.fund collection and pair each one with public programming, school outreach and professional development for local curators and conservators.
Our goal is to build lasting cultural infrastructure in the communities we serve, not simply to tour a collection through them.
The fund invests in art. The foundation shares it.
What we do
Four programmes, one purpose
Every exhibition is planned with the host country’s ministry of culture and designed to leave something behind: new work, new skills and new audiences.
Artist grants
Funding for artists living and working in emerging countries to create new work shown alongside the international loans.
Education and outreach
Guided visits, school programmes and public talks that bring each exhibition to people who might not otherwise come through the door.
Curatorial exchanges
Training and placements for local curators, conservators and registrars, so expertise stays in the community after the works leave.
How an exhibition comes together
From partnership to opening day
Each exhibition starts with the country’s minister of culture. Together we plan the tour, choose host cities and venues, and work through customs, security and government indemnity so every stop meets museum standards.
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Agree the tour with the ministry of culture
We work with the minister of culture to plan a touring exhibition, choosing host cities and partner museums across the country.
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Curate independently
The foundation’s independent board selects works for curatorial reasons, from the TheArt.fund collection and from other collections.
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Lend to museum standards
TheArt.fund lends works free of charge under a formal loan agreement covering insurance, fine-art transport, couriers, condition reports and risk.
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Add local artists to the exhibition
Artist grants fund artists from the host country to create new work, so they become part of the exhibition and tour the country alongside the international loans.
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Tour the country
The exhibition opens in one city and travels to others, with free entry, school visits and education programmes at every stop.
Fund and foundation
Two organisations, clearly separate
TheArt.fund invests in contemporary art for its investors. TheArt.foundation is a separate non-profit that shares art with the public. They work together, but each has its own legal structure, governance and purpose.
| TheArt.fund | TheArt.foundation | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Long-term financial returns | Public access to art |
| Legal form | Cayman Islands exempted limited partnership | US 501(c)(3) non-profit |
| Serves | Accredited investors | The public in emerging countries |
| Works with | Galleries and auction houses | Ministries of culture and museums |
| The art | Owns the collection | Borrows works free of charge |
| Governance | General partner and LP advisory committee | Independent board |
| Funding | Investor capital | Donations and grants |
Artist grant programme
Support for artists in emerging countries
Our grants fund artists from the countries we exhibit in to create new work for our exhibitions. Their work is shown alongside international loans, giving local artists an international stage at home.
Who can apply
Artists living and working in emerging countries
Calls are linked to upcoming exhibitions in each host country.
How artists are chosen
Open call, independent panel
Selection is objective and non-discriminatory. TheArt.fund’s managers do not sit on the panel.
What it funds
New work that joins the exhibition
Grantees create work that is shown in the exhibition and travels with it to every city on the tour.
Who owns the work
The artist or a local institution
The work stays with the artist or is donated to a local institution, keeping it in the community.
Grants are made under written procedures for grants to individuals, and all grantees are screened against applicable sanctions lists. Open calls will be announced on this page.
Governance and independence
Public benefit comes first
Exhibitions can raise the profile of the works they show. Because many of the works we exhibit belong to TheArt.fund, we hold ourselves to clear rules that keep the foundation focused on the public, not on the value of the fund’s collection.
These commitments protect the foundation’s charitable status, give donors and partners confidence, and address the conflicts of interest that TheArt.fund’s investors would rightly ask about.
- An independent boardMost of our board is independent of TheArt.fund, and it alone decides what we exhibit.
- Free loans onlyTheArt.fund lends works without charge. The foundation pays no fees to the fund.
- Formal loan agreementsEvery loan is documented on arm’s-length terms and approved by the fund’s LP advisory committee.
- Beyond one collectionWe also borrow from other collections and commission new local work, so no exhibition depends on the fund alone.
- A clear grantee policyTheArt.fund does not buy work from current or recent grantees without independent board approval.
Questions
Common questions
No. TheArt.foundation is a separate non-profit organisation with its own independent board. TheArt.fund supports it by lending works from its collection free of charge.
No. Entry to every exhibition we present is free, and our education programmes and school visits are free too.
Exhibitions are organised with the country’s ministry of culture. Get in touch through the contact form and we will plan the tour together: host cities, venues, customs, security and government indemnity. Museums and universities can also contact us to host a stop on a tour.
No. We also borrow from other collections and commission new work from local artists through our grant programme.
Grants are awarded through open calls linked to upcoming exhibitions. Register your interest through the contact form and we will let you know when a call opens in your country.
TheArt.foundation is being established as a US 501(c)(3) non-profit. Once recognised by the IRS, contributions from US donors are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. Please speak to your own tax adviser about your situation.
Not from current or recent grantees, unless the foundation’s independent board approves it. This keeps our grants focused on artists and communities, not on the fund’s investments.
The artist, or a local institution in the host country. The foundation does not take ownership of grant-funded work for itself.
Bring an exhibition to your country
We work with ministries of culture, museums, artists and supporters. Tell us about your country or your organisation, and we will be in touch.
TheArt.foundation is a non-profit organisation, separate from and independent of TheArt.fund. Nothing on this page is an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy securities or an interest in TheArt.fund.