Image: Chris Ingram with Elisabeth Frink (1930-1993), Goggle Head, 1969 © The Elisabeth Frink Estate and Archive. All Rights Reserved, DACS 2019

Chris Ingram began collecting in 2002, acting on a passion for sharing the enjoyment of art with as many people as possible. Within a decade, he had created a substantial private collection of Modern British Art, which was regularly requested for exhibitions and loans to both national and international galleries and museums. The calibre and breadth of the collection, together with its active lending policy, means that The Ingram Collection is now recognised as one of this country’s most significant and publicly accessible collections of Modern British Art.

Chris is passionate about making The Ingram Collection accessible to all. With an innovative and diverse loan programme, works from the collection can be seen in galleries and museums all across the UK. In recent years, The Ingram Collection has ventured into two new areas: supporting recently graduated and emerging artists, and exploring how access to art – making it as well as seeing it – can improve outcomes for disadvantaged groups.

By working in partnership with galleries, innovative spaces, new talent and marginalised artists, The Ingram Collection brings art to the widest possible audience. Chris Ingram and his team are committed to using his collection to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to be inspired by art, no matter what their location or circumstances.

Chris has chosen some of his favourites from The Ingram Collection for a special online exhibition during lockdown and he hopes that viewers enjoy seeing them as much as he does.

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Henri Gaudier-Brzeska (1891-1915)
Maternity, conceived 1913, cast c. 1965-66
Bronze with a dark brown patina

Henri Gaudier-Brzeska (1891-1915), Maternity, conceived 1913, cast 1965-66 © The Estate of Henri Gaudier-Brzeska. Image courtesy of The Ingram Collection

"I find this sculpture particularly moving. Of all the pieces in the collection, I think this is one of the most popular. It immediately appeals to those who know nothing about art, as well as to the aficionados." – Chris Ingram

Dod Procter (1891-1972)
The Golden Girl, c.1930
Oil on canvas

Dod Procter (1891-1972) The Golden Girl, c.1930 © Courtesy of the Procter Estate/Bridgeman Images. Image courtesy of The Ingram Collection

Through the 1920s, Dod Procter specialised in painting the figure, usually single female figures, sometimes nude, others in softly draped clothes, inspired by the impressionist and post-impressionist painters, especially Cezanne and Renoir.

Eric Ravilious (1903–1942)
Rye Harbour, 1938
Pencil and watercolour

Eric Ravilious (1903-1942) Rye Harbour, 1938 © The Estate of Eric Ravilious. Image courtesy of The Ingram Collection © 2009 JP Bland

"Like Georges Seurat, Ravilious in his maturity was fascinated by compositional structure and the effects of light. In this case our eye is drawn to the sun, dazzlingly reflected in the foreground, then lured away along the channel towards the sea." – James Russell, Art Historian

Barbara Hepworth (1903–1975)
Sculpture with Colour and Strings, conceived 1939, cast 1961
Bronze with a light brown and light green patina and string

Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Sculpture with Colour and Strings, 1939/1961 © Bowness. Image courtesy of The Ingram Collection

"This one is a classic. I love looking at it because it reminds me of why Hepworth is seen as one of the best artists of the twentieth century." – Chris Ingram

Henry Moore (1898-1986)
Seated Girl, 1947-49
Painted red-tinted plaster, unique

Henry Moore (1889-1986), Seated Girl, 1947-49 © The Henry Moore Foundation. All Rights Reserved, DACS/www.henry-moore.org 2020. Image courtesy of The Ingram Collection

"I bought this because I liked it, not because it was by Henry Moore. I’ve never been swayed by 'names' or whether someone is considered an important artist. I have always bought things I liked and this has always served me well." – Chris Ingram

John Minton (1917-1957)
Two Fishermen, 1949
Oil on canvas

John Minton (1917-1957) Two Fishermen, 1949 © The Royal College of Art/Bridgeman Images. Image courtesy of The Ingram Collection

A member of the famous Minton ceramics family, John Minton was a celebrity of London’s bohemia and a key figure of neo-romanticism in the 1940s. One of his recurring themes, partly homoerotic, was the male figure at work or in pastoral settings.

Elisabeth Frink (1930-1993)
Goggle Head, 1969
Bronze with a dark brown patina and polished glasses

Elisabeth Frink, Goggle Head, 1969 © The Elisabeth Frink Estate and Archive. All Rights Reserved, DACS 2020. Image courtesy of The Ingram Collection

"Frink is a real favourite of mine and so it’s no accident that I have more works by her than in my collection than any other artist. Unlike other artists or sculptors, she had a go at everything - so apart from strong sculptural pieces such as this one, there are more gentle depictions of animals, and also her drawings which I love." – Chris Ingram

Allen Jones (b. 1937)
Three in One, 1971
Pencil, pastel and gouache

Allen Jones (b. 1937), Three in One, 1971 © Allen Jones. Image courtesy of The Ingram Collection © 2016 JP Bland

"Allen Jones is rarely subtle in showing his love of female bodies: almost always erotic and often sexist by today’s standards. It may take a few seconds to work out what this is, but pretty soon you realise he’s in the groove with this one too…" – Chris Ingram

Eduardo Paolozzi (1924–2005)
Hands of the Sculptor, 1996
Bronze with a light brown patina

Eduardo Paolozzi (1924-2005), Hands of the Sculptor, 1996 © The Paolozzi Foundation. Licensed by DACS 2020. Image courtesy of The Ingram Collection © 2016 JP Bland

"I have a number of works by Paolozzi in the collection that are particularly striking. This one is something completely different but I like it because it is of Paolozzi’s hands, and therefore makes me think about the process of making." – Chris Ingram

Peter Howson (b. 1958)
Resurrection, 1999
Oil on canvas

Peter Howson (b. 1958), Resurrection, 1999 © Peter Howson. All rights reserved, DACS 2020. Image courtesy of The Ingram Collection

"This painting is difficult to look at, but also incredible in its ambition and subject matter. I absolutely love it. Howson is such an important painter." – Chris Ingram

Aleah Chapin (b. 1986)
The Tempest, 2013
Oil on canvas

Aleah Chapin (b. 1986) The Tempest, 2013 © Aleah Chapin. Image courtesy of The Ingram Collection © 2016 JP Bland

"I thought this picture was amazing and it totally stopped me in my tracks when I saw it in New York. Nude, older women are seen as a 'difficult' subject but Aleah is fearless and produces flesh tones which, for me, are comparable to Lucian Freud." – Chris Ingram

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