The Culture Secretary is to sit down with the chief executive of the Los Angeles-based Getty Foundation, to explore whether it can expand its support into “communities across the UK”.
Lisa Nandy will discuss the extent to which the foundation could give beyond its usual focus on “flagship national institutions”, in order to help out museums and galleries in the regions.
The Getty Foundation has shown support to the British sector including via its contribution to the National Gallery’s acquisition of Sir Joshua Reynolds’ circa 1776 painting Portrait of Mai (Omai), secured in 2023 by a fundraising drive.
It gave money to the Courtauld Gallery in 2022, to investigate the last major manuscript by Paul Gauguin, and in 2018 supported the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford with a £230,000 grant for research into its collection of Italian drawings.
Nandy’s meeting with the Getty Foundation comes as she leads one of the largest British business delegations ever to visit America.
The party is hoping to spur on American investment by showcasing the best of Britain’s tech, financial, and creative sectors.
The Culture Secretary is also planning to attend a transatlantic giving event hosted by the Charities Aid Foundation and Nexus, a network for the “next generation of high-impact donors”, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) revealed.
The event will give US-based donors the chance to benefit from American tax incentives when giving to eligible British causes – “a powerful mechanism for channelling private American wealth into UK communities”, the DCMS told Arts Professional.
Nandy said: “I’m determined to use this trade mission to deliver for ordinary people back home, making sure that our incredible regional museums and galleries benefit from the same international investment and partnerships that our celebrated national institutions enjoy. This is key to making sure everyone has access to exceptional art no matter where they live.
“By bringing together foundations like the Getty and a new generation of committed donors, we can channel private investment into genuine public good, in every corner of this country.”
