Policy Information

Artbank Strategic Plan 2023-2024 to 2027-2028

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Acquisition Criteria & Policy

The Artbank collection is dynamic, representing and promoting contemporary art from Australia, rather than a ‘museum’ collection. Balancing broad representation, excellence, new and emerging art practice and rentability are key factors when considering artworks for acquisition. The selection criteria that all artworks must meet to qualify for purchase are:

• 1.1 Be produced by a living Australian artist:
1. To be classified as Australian artist, the artist must be either:
1. born in Australia;
2. an Australian citizen;
3. in Australia as an approved temporary resident for a minimum of two years, and/or
4. a permanent resident of Australia.
2. The artist may be living in Australia or overseas as long as at least one of the above stated criteria are demonstrable.
3. Where the artwork is produced by an artist collective or collaboration, no less than fifty percent of the contributors must meet the criteria 1.1.a).
• 1.2 represent outstanding artistic achievement within the artist’s practice.
• 1.3 represent a high standard of artistic achievement within contemporary Australian art practice.
• 1.4 be purchased on the primary market.
• 1.5 be appropriate for potential rental through the art leasing scheme, including:
1. being appropriate for display in public spaces.
2. being in intrinsically sound condition and reasonably resistant to deterioration in the routine operations of Artbank including display, packing and transportation.
• 1.6 For work produced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, consideration must be given to ensuring appropriate professional and ethical practices in the industry are supported, taking into account relevant government policies and best practice principles for the purchase of Indigenous art.

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Preservation Policy

The Artbank Preservation Policy outlines the approach to maintenance, storage and conservation of works of art in the collection. To achieve this Artbank refers to and applies the principles articulated in the International Council of Museums Code of Ethics for Museums.

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Deaccession Policy

The Artbank Collection Deaccession Policy presents the rationale for the deaccession of artwork from the Artbank Collection.

An artwork should be held in the Artbank Collection if it is consistent with the purposes of Artbank and if it continues to be of significance and is able to be appropriately utilised and protected. When these standards are no longer met deaccessioning may be considered as a course of action.

Deaccessioning is part of collection management and is the formal process of the removal of an artwork from the collection. Deaccessioning and disposing of artwork from the Artbank Collection is an important part of the management and care of a collection. In deaccessioning, Artbank ensures the integrity and long-term quality of the Artbank Collection and acts within best practice industry standards and procedures. The Artbank Collection Deaccession Policy supports the Artbank Collection Acquisition Policy

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Artbank's 2023 to 2025 Collection Plan

The Artbank Collection Plan presents the collecting strategy for Artbank in 2023-25. The Collection Plan is written in accordance with the criteria and procedures set out in the Artbank Collection Acquisition Policy.

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