Going Public – the Napoleone Collection

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Valeria Napoleone, a leading international collector of work by female artists, will exhibit highlights from her collection in public for the first time this July at Museum Sheffield’s Graves Gallery, it was announced today. Drawn from a collection with a singular purpose: to champion the work of women artists and redress gender imbalance in the art world, this exhibition will offer the chance to see major works by some of the most pioneering artists to have emerged in the past 20 years.

This exhibition is the latest installment of Going Public, a series of exhibitions and summits launched in 2015 by Museums Sheffield and project co-originators Mark Doyle and Sebastien Montabonel in collaboration with partner organisations across the city. The project, which shows highlights from some of Europe’s finest private collections of contemporary and twentieth century art in Sheffield, was established to lead a national conversation about the future of regional museums and debate the question ‘how can public and private sectors work better together?’.

To coincide, Museums Sheffield today releases The Going Public Report, presenting the conclusions of a major summit held in October 2015 that brought together leading Museum Directors, philanthropists and industry experts. Authored by Louisa Buck, Contemporary Art Correspondent for The Art Newspaper, the document creates a new consensus between private philanthropists and public museum directors on opportunities for collaboration which could help protect the future of regional museums and galleries. The Going Public Report discusses topics such as: European vs American models of philanthropy, relationship building, tax reform, investment in artists, inspirational leadership and the continued importance of public funding.

The Going Public Report includes comments from leaders within the museums sector such as Maria Balshaw (The Whitworth), Chris Dercon (Volksbühne) and Peter Murray (Yorkshire Sculpture Park). The perspectives of major international collectors and philanthropists are also incorporated, with contributions from collectors Nicholas Cattelain, Sylvain Levy, Edigio Marzona and Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo. Other expert responses from the sector include: John Orna-Ornstein (Director of Museums, Arts Council England), Sarah Philp, (Director of Programmes, The Art Fund), Melanie Kassoff (Managing Director, The Freelands Foundation), among many others. Selected quotes can be viewed here and the full report can be downloaded here.