National Art-Collections Fund

The Fund was formed in 1903 in an attempt to preserve the country's art heritage by assisting public galleries and museums to purchase works of art that were being sold off by private collectors and in danger of being bought up by overseas parties. The artists D. S. MacColl and Roger Fry were the main instigators in setting up the Fund, with Lady Christiana Herringham being an early donor. Fry and MacColl were to become the dominant members of the first committee of the Contemporary Art Society, which was set up seven years later in 1910 to provide a parallel source of funding for contemporary art.

The Art Fund, as it has been renamed, has to date saved nearly 900,000 works of art through its members and contributors. Important artists who are, or have been, linked with the organisation include sculptor Anthony Caro, artist Anish Kapoor, sculptor Phillip King, writer Ben Okri and artist Bridget Riley.