LONDON.- 44 unique cultural items and collections, hailing from a range of creators and disciplines – including Bach, Lowry and Bridget Riley – were acquired between March 2023 and April 2024 through the Cultural Gifts Scheme and Acceptance in Lieu, as found in the Arts Council’s new Annual Report.


From bustling factory scenes to solitary figures, trace the career of L.S. Lowry through insightful biographies and art analyses. Order books on Amazon and gain a deeper understanding of his impact on modern art.


These items will now go on display at a range of museums and galleries across the country for full public access and enjoyment, as well as scholarly research in some cases.

Both Acceptance in Lieu and the Cultural Gifts Scheme offer considerable support to cultural institutions in creating engaging collections enjoyed by the communites they serve.

The Annual Report includes information on the historical and cultural significance underpinning each of the 44 items, as well as the factors considered by the Panel when making a decision on acceptance and where these items were subsequently allocated to in the country.

Additionally, the report features five case studies. These case studies look at five of the items outlined in the report and follows how they are making a difference in the institutions they have been allocated to. This includes helping to engage communities in their local history in Staffordshire, providing high quality digital access to medieval manuscripts for students in Leeds, and bolstering an impressive collection of European Modernism in Edinburgh.

Acceptance in Lieu

Acceptance in Lieu allows those who have a bill for Inheritance Tax to pay the tax by transferring important cultural, scientific or historic objects and archives to the nation through allocation to public museums, galleries, archives and libraries.   

Highlights include: 

• Johann Sebastian Bach: Cantata Auf Christi Himmelfahrt allein. This is the complete autograph manuscript score for the cantata Bach composed for Ascension Day. Prior to this allocation, there were only three Bach manuscripts in Britain. The manuscript was allocated to the Bodleian Library, Oxford where it will be digitised and made widely available.  

• Bridget Riley: Banner I. This marks the opening of a transitional phase of Bridget Riley’s work. Banner I uses the combination of variegated red, white and blue stripes to generate oppositional optical light and luminosity within the composition. It was allocated to the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.  

• LS Lowry: River Scene, Sunderland. From the 1930s onwards, Lowry developed an enduring fascination with the North East of England. River Scene, Sunderland is one of the largest and most successful of all his industrial scenes. It shows the River Wear at Sunderland Docks, specifically the Lambton Coal Drops. It was offered with a wish to Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens and has been permanently allocated there.   

Cultural Gifts Scheme

The Cultural Gifts Scheme enables UK taxpayers to donate important works of art and other heritage objects to public museums, galleries, libraries and archives to benefit the nation. In return, donors receive a tax reduction based on a set percentage of the value of the item they donate.  

Highlights include:  

• Sir Frederic, Lord Leighton: Study for Flaming June. Leighton was a leading figure in 19th-century British art. This is the only known preparatory oil sketch for his late masterpiece Flaming June, now recognised as one of his most famous and well-loved paintings. It has been allocated to Leighton House, London.  

• Lanto Synge collection of needlework: This significant collection focuses on early English textiles with some additional pieces from other countries such as France, India and China. It comprehensively covers 300 years of fine English needlework. The material was generously donated by Lanto Synge, a leading authority on English embroidery, and allocated to the Ulster Museum, Belfast.