With just under 1,000 items, which include works on paper, paintings and sculptures, the main focus of Camden’s collection is works dating from the late 1950s to the late 1980s with many pieces by artists who lived in the Borough.

From 1965 to 1985, with limited funding from a ‘Picture Loan’ scheme that the Council operated, works were directly purchased from degree shows at the Slade School of Art and Central St Martins as well as Hampstead Artists’ exhibitions. A small number of works were acquired through the Council’s relationship with Camden Arts Centre and later Swiss Cottage Gallery or artists who were commissioned for other art projects in the Borough.

The London Borough of Camden has a pre-eminent position within the Visual Arts of the UK thanks to the number of high quality venues in the borough and the artists who have associated with the area. The collection provides a unique record of this narrative and a document of cultural life in Camden over four decades.

The collection is only currently viewable online.