Our major partners

Who we are > Our major partners

Paintings in Hospitals’ partnerships allow us to bring world-class artworks, talks, touring exhibitions and artist residencies to people who are not able to visit a museum or gallery.

Paintings in Hospitals works with major museums, collections and other cultural organisations, including:

Arts Council Collection

The Arts Council Collection is a national loan collection of modern and contemporary British art. We are the Arts Council Collection’s healthcare partner and we have been working together since 1976. Over 100 artworks from the collection are on loan to Paintings in Hospitals. We work closely with the Arts Council Collection team to make sure that people confined to care can benefit from these world-class artworks.

“Part of our mission is to show art all around the UK in a range of public buildings, such as universities and libraries, as well as galleries and museums. Working with Paintings in Hospitals helps us to bring art to the public to enhance wellbeing and enrich people’s lives. Paintings in Hospitals is unique in its approach and we look forward to working together over the coming years.”
Beth Hughes, Collections Curator at Arts Council Collection

The National Gallery

In 2019 we partnered with the National Gallery to bring a 17th-century masterpiece by Artemisia Gentileschi to a GP surgery in East Yorkshire. The rare painting went on display at Pocklington Group Practice from 29 April until 11 May and was accompanied by a series of community art activities. Following Artemisia’s visit, we are working with the local community to create a display of works by pioneering female artists from the Paintings in Hospitals collection, which will go on show at the practice for the next three years.

Central Saint Martins

We worked with the internationally-renowned art school Central Saint Martins to deliver an undergraduate module exploring the role of arts in health. The module forms part of the BA (Hons) Culture, Criticism and Curation course. Since 2010, the number of students dropping out of degree courses in the UK due to mental illness has trebled. Our work with Central Saint Martins students aims to highlight the ways in which art can support the physical and mental health of their peers, while also pushing the boundaries of what is expected of art in care settings. The project culminates in an annual showcase and exhibition.

“Collaborating with Paintings in Hospitals offers our students an opportunity to test new ideas in front of experienced professionals. Paintings in Hospitals’ support for the project has enabled our students to consider and respond to the ever-pertinent issue of mental health and the role of artistic and curatorial production in addressing it.”
Andrew Marsh, course leader for BA (Hons) Culture, Criticism and Curation at Central Saint Martins

V&A

The V&A is the world’s leading museum of art and design. We have been working with the V&A for over fifteen years. Together, we have co-curated seven exhibitions for health and social care sites across the country. Each exhibition has helped the V&A to reach new audiences. The exhibitions have also enabled patients, service users and staff to experience world-class art, some of which had never been exhibited outside of the museum before.

“The V&A is committed to ensuring that as many people as possible can be inspired by the museum’s collections. An important part of this is finding ways to reach people who may not be able to visit the museum. Working with Paintings in Hospitals allows the museum to exhibit outside of a conventional space, offering important and exciting opportunities to connect with new audiences.”

See more of our partnerships and special projects…

paintings in hospitals

Welcome to Paintings in Hospitals. We provide art for a range of health and community care providers to enhance environments and boost wellbeing. We represent a range of national artists and have an online shop so that you can also experience the power of art and its effect on people.

Our Art Collection

PAINTINGS IN HOSPITALS TO BE INCORPORATED INTO LEADING NHS CHARITY 

Paintings in Hospitals (PiH), which has been lending original pieces of visual art to health and care providers for over 65 years, is transferring its renowned art collection and merging with CW+, the official charity of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. 

PiH was founded by Sheridan Russell in 1959. His job was to help distribute aid and support to patients being treated in hospitals. He noticed that when he put original pieces of art on the wall, it helped everyone to feel better. His founding vision for PiH was that all patients in hospitals, their families, visitors and staff, could benefit from experiencing original pieces of art. Now with nationwide reach, the PiH collection has grown to over 3,000 artworks by more than 1,000 artists. Many are very well known, including Bridget Riley, Antony Gormley, Maggi Hambling, Yinka Shonibare, Helen Chadwick, Elizabeth Blackadder, Josef Albers, Anni Albers, Gillian Ayres, Ben Rivers, Alexander Calder, Elisabeth Frink and Ian Davenport. The charity’s artist patrons include Ian Davenport, Sir Antony Gormley OBE, Maggi Hambling CBE, Anita Klein and Bridget Riley CH CBE.

For over 30 years, CW+ has worked alongside Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to create a new type of hospital setting in which art is an integral element of the healing environment. The charity benefits from an established network of patrons, artists and healthcare providers, and has a pioneering Arts in Health programme that builds on the robust body of evidence that outstanding design and engagement with the arts can improve physical and mental wellbeing. The charity’s renowned collection of more than 2,000 artworks is primarily displayed at its two main sites – Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and West Middlesex University Hospital. 

The Chair of PiH, Professor Jane Anderson, said: ‘The visionary work PiH started 65 years ago as an outlier is now mainstream. Creative health – the idea that we pioneered – evidences the physical and mental health benefits of exposure to beautiful and inspiring art. Our founder’s innovative approach has since been solidly confirmed by evidence-based science, and the beneficial impact of creative health is now accepted by hospital administrators, funders and legislators.

'And so, to fulfil our mission to bring great art to patients, families and those caring for them, we are transferring our collection to CW+, a leading charity embedded within the NHS, with a long history in the creative health field.

'We share values and a passionate commitment to promoting and furthering the profound benefits of original art in health and care settings. With our combined sector experience of almost 100 years, we welcome this new era for the Paintings in Hospitals collection and are confident that CW+ will add significant value to the Paintings in Hospitals legacy.’

Current loans will remain where they are and CW+ will announce plans for the future of the Paintings in Hospitals collection in 2026.

Chris Chaney, Chief Executive of CW+, said: ‘We are excited to be merging with Paintings in Hospitals, whose work over the last six decades has had such a profound impact on countless people across the UK. We know from over 30 years of experience that visual art can play a hugely positive role on wellbeing and recovery, and we are committed to the long-standing shared vision of the two organisations that art be made available to as many people as possible in healthcare settings.’

For any questions regarding the collection or loans, please email arts@cwplus.org.uk. 

29 July 2025

About our collection

Our art collection is the only national arts in health collection. Over 1,000 artists are represented, including Bridget Riley, Antony Gormley, Maggi Hambling, Yinka Shonibare, Gillian Ayres, Ian Davenport and many more and many more.