The Women’s Art Collection

Europe's largest collection of art by women lives here at Murray Edwards, throughout our iconic buildings and gardens
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A photo of someone looking at artworks on the wall in a long room

The Women’s Art Collection is a collection of modern and contemporary art by women at Murray Edwards College.

The largest of its kind in Europe, the Collection is on display across the iconic College, designed by Chamberlin, Bon and Powell in 1962 as a manifesto for the education of women.

The Collection was founded in 1986 with the acquisition of Mary Kelly’s six-part work Extase and has evolved through gifts and loans from artists and alumnae. Today it includes over 600 works by leading international artists, including Dame Paula Rego, Maggi Hambling CBE, Lubaina Himid CBE and Judy Chicago.

The Women's Art Collection received accreditation from Arts Council England in 2018.
  
The Collection is open to members of the public and is free to visit. Visit our website for more information.

Collection highlights

An artwork with a red background and white images of winged people
A portrait made from tufted wool
A painting of a woman crouched holding a large weapon
A portrait of a woman against a page of text
An image of a folded shirt with the words 'extase' below it
A photo of 4 artworks of varying sizes on a brick wall in a long corridor

The Women’s Art Collection

Europe's largest collection of art by women lives here at Murray Edwards, throughout our iconic buildings and gardens.

Visit our website