Rafael Tous: “I won’t pay for donating an art collection”
Culture finance in the UK relies on a mix of public grants and private resources such as patronage or donations. In recent years, the government has supported arts and culture with a share of the national economy that hovers around half a percent. Public funding rose in 2019 to about £10.47 billion (roughly €12.145 million) from the national budget. Estimates from a few years earlier showed the arts generating around 226,000 jobs, with about 40% of those positions based in London. The pandemic, ongoing economic pressures, and Brexit have likely shifted these figures, but government and sector efforts continue to sustain cultural activity.
Public funds are stewarded by a national network of arts organizations. In England, Arts Council England oversees nationally distributed funding, drawing from state allocations and portions of the national lottery. In Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, funding flows through respective devolved governments and lottery support.
Private financing has a long-standing role and rests on three core sources: businesses, individuals, and philanthropic foundations. Corporations may contribute through subsidies or patronage. Individuals support the arts via donations, memberships, fellowships, or bequests in wills. Foundations specifically channel resources to hundreds of artistic projects and cultural organizations.
Rafael Tous: “I won’t pay for donating an art collection.”
Public museums and national institutions are major employers. Outside political debates, fundraising remains an active pursuit. Since 2001, access to many British public museums has been free, partially funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Public accounts from these institutions are periodically published to maintain transparency, sometimes detailing managerial salaries and other staff costs.
Several major museums, including those within the Tate group, have prioritized diversifying income and consolidating existing streams. Initiatives have included campaigns to encourage artists to donate works. These efforts aim to offset reductions in government support and to balance the shrinking national arts fund against a robust art market that can often shoulder more private giving.
A notable example is the donation from a prominent contemporary art collector and dealer who, in 2008, contributed 725 works by 25 artists to the Tate. The collection featured celebrated names such as Robert Mapplethorpe, Andy Warhol, Ron Mueck, and Damien Hirst. The market value of the donation was substantial, but the process involved a sale of the collection to the government for a price that reflected public funding considerations and long-term cultural value. [citation]