Kevin Brennan

The government’s art collection reveals “institutional bias” against female artists, according to Labour. Research by the party showed that about three-quarters of works acquired in recent years were created by men.

Figures from the shadow culture team suggest that around 265 works by men and just 80 by women were collected over the last five years for which data is available, between 2011-2012 and 2015-2016.

Labour said the imbalance in the gender of the artists behind works acquired in recent times showed the government’s art collection was not setting the right example.

Kevin Brennan, the shadow arts minister, said the situation was “not good enough” and called for a change in policy.

“Only about a quarter of the work acquired by the government art collection in recent years is by women,” he said. “Female artists are at least as talented as their male counterparts and the government should be setting an example by getting rid of the institutionalised bias in their acquisitions policy.”

Read in full at The Guardian here.