Brighton & Hove Art Collection

The Royal Pavilion and Museums Trust looks after a large and varied collection of art works, with around 1,300 paintings and 8,000 works on paper. Many of these are by well-known and important artists, ranging from Philippe de Champaigne, Poussin and William Blake to Aubrey Beardsley, Walter Sickert and Frank Stella. Works are displayed across the Trust’s five venues and at any one time others are on show in national and overseas exhibitions as part of a busy loans programme. However, the size of the collection and limited display space means it can be difficult to get a sense of the scope of the collection. Nicola Coleby will talk about when the collection started and how it has been developed, how it is maintained and how displays and exhibitions of the collection are decided.

Nicola Coleby is Partnerships & Development Manager at the Royal Pavilion & Museums Trust. She started at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery in 1992 as Keeper of Exhibitions, becoming responsible for exhibitions and contemporary art commissions at the Royal Pavilion in 2012 before taking up her current position in 2015. She has been responsible for the Fine Art Collection during her colleague’s maternity and sabbatical leave over the past five years. Prior to Brighton Museum, Nicola worked in the Visual Arts Department of the British Council in London and at Macmillan’s Dictionary of Art. She has an MPhil in History of Art and was Chair of HOUSE Biennial and of Touring Exhibitions Group, 2019-22.

• To see some of the works in the collection go to artuk.org and search for Royal Pavilion & Museums Trust

Image: J Attree: St Peter's Church, Brighton (1846), courtesy of the Royal Pavilion & Museums Trust