LONDON.- 21 British museums and galleries from Llandudno to Fort William will be able to show masterpieces of contemporary art in 2010 thanks to "ARTIST ROOMS", Anthony d’Offay’s gift to the nation made in 2008. The "ARTIST ROOMS 2010 Tour" has been made possible by The Art Fund and is supported by the Scottish Government. Held jointly by National Galleries of Scotland and Tate, "ARTIST ROOMS" is the largest public gift of art to museums in UK history. The collection has now been enhanced by artists and collectors who have made significant donations to the scheme including: Ed Ruscha, "The Music from the Balconies", 1984, donated by the artist; Ian Hamilton Finlay, "Idylls End in Thunderstorms", 1986; and "A Last Word Rudder", 1999 donated by the Estate of the artist.

Pledged works include:

• Agnes Martin– an important late painting pledged by a private American collector.

• Robert Therrien– a major work has been pledged by the artist.

• Jannis Kounellis; a major work has been pledged by the artist.

"ARTIST ROOMS" on Tour with The Art Fund supported by The Scottish Government has been devised to enable this collection held by Tate and the National Galleries of Scotland to reach and inspire new audiences across the country, particularly young people.

The "ARTIST ROOMS" tour in 2009 reached around 8 million people nationally, over 700,000 people outside of London and Edinburgh in towns and cities as far afield as Stromness in Orkney, Cardiff in Wales, Middlesbrough in Teesside and Bexhill in East Sussex. A total of 372 works went on tour. The "ARTIST ROOMS 2010 Tour" will see works from this outstanding contemporary collection reach a further 16 towns and cities across the UK including Stornoway, Perth, Nottingham, Thurso, Llandudno, Eastbourne and Belfast.

The "ARTIST ROOMS 2010 Tour" venues are:

• Manchester Art Gallery (showing Ron Mueck – February 4 to April 11, 2010)

• Talbot Rice Gallery in Edinburgh (showing Jenny Holzer – March 27 to May 21, 2010)

• Hunterian Museum in Glasgow (showing Joseph Beuys – 1 April to 2 June 2010)

• Perth Museum & Art Gallery (showing Andy Warhol – April 17 to October 23, 2010)

• Kettle’s Yard in Cambridge (showing Agnes Martin – May 15 to July 11, 2010)

• Nottingham Contemporary (showing Diane Arbus – July 24 to September 26, 2010)

• An Lanntair in Stornoway (showing Ian Hamilton Finlay – 30 August to 30 November 2010)

• The Ulster Museum in Belfast (showing Richard Long - September 2010 to February 2011)

• Towner in Eastbourne (showing Robert Mapplethorpe – September 25 to November 21, 2010)

• Highland Touring Circuit: Swanson Gallery Thurso; The Lime Tree, Fort William;

• Timespan, Helmsdale; Inverness Museum and Art Gallery (showing Ed Ruscha – October 2010 to March 2011)

• BALTIC in Gateshead (showing Anselm Kiefer – October 1, 2010 to January 18, 2011)

• Oriel Mostyn in Llandudno (showing Alex Katz – November 30, to February 19, 2011)

• New Walk Museum and Art Gallery, Leicester (showing Gerhard Richter – dates to be confirmed)

"ARTIST ROOMS 2010" at National Galleries of Scotland and Tate galleries will include:

• Dean Gallery in Edinburgh, National Galleries of Scotland (showing Diane Arbus – March 13 to June 13, 2010)

• Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh (showing Ian Hamilton Finlay – April to August 2010, Gilbert & George – August to November 2010 and Robert Therrien – August to November 2010)

• Tate Britain (displays will include Damien Hirst 2010 – Spring 2010 to Autumn 2010)

• Tate Modern in London (displays include Agnes Martin, Jenny Holzer and Andy Warhol – Summer 2010 to Spring 2011).

• Tate Liverpool (details to be confirmed)

In 2010, facilitated by The Highland Council, a circuit of four galleries will enable the work of American artist Ed Ruscha to reach audiences across the Scottish Highlands, building on existing partnerships from Lochaber to Caithness. We aim to use this innovative model of a “tour within the tour” in subsequent "ARTIST ROOMS" tours.

Education

More than 3,000 young people took part in education projects related to exhibitions within the 2009 tour through the museums’ tailor-made outreach programmes funded by The Art Fund and Scottish Government. Highlights included:

• Warhol-inspired fashion show and music night in Wolverhampton, which has resulted in an ongoing relationship between the young people and museum. University students in the city transformed a disused shop in the Mander Shopping Center into a Warhol ‘Factory’running daily workshops with artists for the public. Staff at a local department store set up a special window display inspired by the 'Warhol ARTIST ROOM' featuring high street clothes and accessories.

• The production of a special newspaper in Middlesbrough called 'The Modern Times', which took Gerhard Richter’s work as its starting point, and included articles on fashion, music reviews, and curator interviews, devised and created by 14-21 year olds. The finished publication was distributed to 48,000 households in Middlesbrough and the young people said taking part had had a profound impact on their understanding of art, and that it had influenced their personal career goals.

• Young people from local communities worked with the Tramway in Glasgow, making neon signs in the spirit of Bruce Nauman, whose work from the "ARTIST ROOMS" collection was exhibited there. The neon signs were then displayed in the surrounding area, including in shop windows.

The Art Fund and Scottish Government are funding further outreach projects in 2010. To build on the successes of the projects, a new post – that of Education Co-ordinator – has been created for the 2010 Tour supported by the Scottish Government’s grant.