Museums and Institutions

Works by artists Antony Gormley and Maggi Hambling were among 130 lots sold at auction to raise more than £100,000 to create a national centre for the artist Thomas Gainsborough (1727-88) in Sudbury.

West Dean College, a centre for conservation and creative arts, has appointed two new subject leaders in clocks and metalwork.

A silver tumbler made by 17th century Chester silversmith Peter Pemberton has been bought by a trust to ensure it will stay on public display in its home town.

An auction of contemporary and post-war British art will be held in Sudbury this month to raise funds to establish a national centre for the artist Thomas Gainsborough (1727-88).

Two abstract sculptures by Sir Anthony Caro have been acquired for the nation as part of the ‘Acceptance in Lieu’ scheme. Together they have settled £2.7m of inheritance tax due from the estate of Caro’s wife, the artist Sheila Girling, who died in 2015.

Dealer Philip Mould was among the bidders at Sotheby’s sale of the Yeats collection this week.

Auction house Sotheby’s has awarded two US museums a prize of $125,000 each as part of its new exhibition competition.

More than 1000 works were acquired by the Tate in the last year according to its latest annual report. They ranged from Old Masters to Contemporary art and had a combined value of £27.4m.

The Hatton Gallery at Newcastle University will re-open next month following a 20-month redevelopment.

The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery in Stoke-on-Trent had a double celebration today when it welcomed home a vase by master potter Josiah Wedgwood and launched a fundraising campaign to buy the Leekfrith Iron Age Torcs.

A sculpture of Queen Victoria by Alfred Gilbert has been temporarily barred from leaving the country while the government searches for a buyer based in the UK to pay the £1.2m asking price.

An exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum celebrates the history of the Folio Society, which was founded by dealer Charles Ede 70 years ago.

The York Art Gallery has secured £180,000 towards its fundraising appeal to purchase a key work by local artist Albert Moore (1841-93).

A sapphire and diamond coronet designed by Prince Albert for Queen Victoria has been acquired by the V&A Museum. It was previously sold by a London dealer to an overseas buyer but was blocked from export by the government in 2015.

The British Museum’s Collection Online database is back up and running after a technical glitch forced it out of action this month.

A painting by Canaletto’s nephew Bellotto has been saved for the nation after being acquired by the National Gallery in London.

Martin Roth, the former director of the Victoria and Albert Museum, has died aged 62.