PRESS RELEASE 7 JULY 2016 Foremost collector of women artists brings world class contemporary art to Sheffield for Going Public Museum Directors and philanthropists weigh in on the future of arts funding for The Going Public Report 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 (ex-Tate Modern) 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. Kim Streets, CEO of Museums Sheffield, commented: ‘The response to Going Public: International Art Collectors in Sheffield has been extraordinary with over 135,000 visiting the exhibitions and 180 leading voices from the cultural sector attending the summit last autumn. Building on this success, we are thrilled to partner with Valeria Napoleone to continue the exhibition series this summer and share some truly remarkable work from her collection at the Graves Gallery. Louisa Buck’s

excellent The Going Public Report represents the first step in a vital conversation to establish how public galleries can develop meaningful, reciprocal relationships with philanthropists. As a sector, we must now consider how we can secure the necessary investment in skills needed to develop those relationships and how we can enable the sector to get the best from those relationships in the longer term.’ Louisa Buck added: ‘The overwhelming message of Going Public’s multi-stranded explorations of the current and the future role of philanthropy is that philanthropy is now an evermore significant source of support for the culture sector and that more can undoubtedly be done to develop private giving. But philanthropy cannot and should not be a substitute for government funding. Going Public repeatedly confirmed that there is a strong desire on the part of private individuals to contribute to our regional museums and galleries, whether in the North of England or beyond, but they are not prepared to plug gaps caused by government cuts. The collectors themselves agreed that too much private influence could undermine the integrity of our public institutions. In short, philanthropy is not a silver bullet.’

Valeria Napoleone commented: ‘I am delighted to be a part of Going Public, which shares my goals of supporting realities which are too often overlooked by the mainstream and creating a catalyst for change. The exhibition will present large-scale, ambitious works by women artists that relate to themes of contemporary life – I hope visitors young and old, and of all genders, will be inspired by the sense of freedom and possibility on display.’

Going Public – the Napoleone Collection will include works by artists Monica Bonvicini, Tomma Abts, Ida Ekblad, Mai-Thu Perret, Joanne Greenbaum among many others. The exhibition runs 15 July to 1 October 2016 and is generously supported by The Art Fund. A version of the exhibition will tour to Touchstones Rochdale from the 10 December 2016 to 11 March 2017. For press information and images please contact Selina Jones selina@scott-andco.com 0203 487 0077 Notes to Editor Exhibition details: Graves Gallery 15 July to 1 October 2016 Above the Central Library, Surrey Street, Sheffield, S1 1XZ www.museums-sheffield.org.uk The exhibition will then tour to: Touchstones Rochdale 10 December 2016 to 11 March 2017 The Esplanade, Rochdale, OL16 1AQ. Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm FREE ADMISSION. http://www.link4life.org/centres/touchstones-rochdale Going Public: International Art Collectors in Sheffield Going Public: International Art Collectors in Sheffield was co-originated by Mark Doyle and Sebastien Montabonel and is led by Museums Sheffield. In 2015 the project was a partnership between Museums Sheffield, Sheffield Cathedral, Sheffield

Hallam University’s Sheffield Institute of Arts Gallery and Site Gallery. The project was supported by Arts Council England, The Henry Moore Foundation, Montabonel & Partners, Sheffield City Council and Sheffield Hallam University. Valeria Napoleone Valeria Napoleone is an art collector and patron to a select number of arts organisations. She is a Trustee of the Contemporary Art Society and Head of the Development Committee at Studio Voltaire. Valeria sits on the Board of The Institute of Fine Arts NYU in NYC and is a member of NYU President's Global Council. In 2015 Valeria Napoleone XX was formed as a new umbrella platform for projects and initiatives that work towards increasing the representation of female artists in major public museums. Partnerships within this include Valeria Napoleone XX Contemporary Art Society which is an on-going commitment to purchase and donate a significant work by a living female artist to a different UK museum each year.

Valeria received a BA from New York University’s Journalism School and an MA in Art Gallery Administration at the Fashion Institute of Technology, NYC. Valeria’s collection focuses on female contemporary artists working internationally. Forming an exceptionally close bond with artists, Valeria has supported many of today’s most acclaimed artists at pivotal moments in their careers. Museums Sheffield Established in 1998, Museums Sheffield is the charitable trust responsible for running three of the city’s main museums and galleries: Millennium Gallery, Graves Gallery and Weston Park. Museums Sheffield presents the very best in art, design and craft – their relationships with some of the country’s leading museums and galleries, including the National Portrait Gallery, Tate and the V&A, enable them to bring work from some of the UK’s most important collections to the region. In caring for and showcasing the city’s collections, they work closely with the local community to tell the story of the people of Sheffield and explore the city’s cultural identity and heritage. www.museums-sheffield.org.uk

Louisa Buck is a writer and broadcaster on contemporary art. She has been London Contemporary Art Columnist for The Art Newspaper since 1997 and is a regular reviewer on BBC radio and TV, including Front Row, Nightwaves and BBC World Service. She writes a weekly visual arts column for The Telegraph Luxury. Her books include Relative Values or What’s Art Worth? (co-authored with Philip Dodd) (BBC Books 1991); Moving Targets 2: A User’s Guide to British Art Now (Tate 2000); Market Matters: The Dynamics of the Contemporary Art Market (Arts Council England 2004) and Owning Art: The Contemporary Art Collector’s Handbook (co-authored with Judith Greer) (Cultureshock Media 2006) Commissioning Contemporary Art: A Handbook for Curators, Collectors and Artists (Thames & Hudson 2012). Louisa was a judge for the 2005 Turner Prize.