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Collections

Search our collection of over 46,000 objects of fine art, decorative art and costume, developed over 200 years and still growing.

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Adolphe Valette

Annie Louisa Swynnerton
Man's suit, gilt embroidered.

Costume

Featured artist

Annie Louisa Swynnerton

Fine Art

George Stubbs, A Cheetah And A Stag With Two Indian Attendants, 1764

The Manchester Art Gallery collection contains nearly 13,000 items including painting, sculpture, drawings, watercolours, prints, posters and photographs. Best known for our world-famous Pre-Raphaelite paintings, the collection also includes British and European art from the 17th century right up to the present day.

Craft and Design

Teapot, Spode, c1770

Over 13,000 objects of craft and design from ceramics, glass and furniture to metalwork and Chinese jades. Highlights include early English ceramics, historic and contemporary silver, and our growing collection of contemporary furniture and lighting design.

Costume

Two Dandy court suits on mannequins

The costume collection includes over 21,000 items of clothing, textiles and accessories, covering all aspects of the history of dress from 1600 to the present day. 18th century fashion and 19th century women’s and children’s dress are particular highlights.

Taking Stock

Starting in 2023, Manchester Art Gallery, Platt Hall and the conservation studios, are undertaking a programme of building repairs. This will lead to better storage and physical access to safeguard the collection for the future and will transform how our collection is experienced by our visitors.

As part of the ambitious programme of development we will be Taking Stock of our collection in a unique opportunity to review and research process to explore the rich potential of the city’s collection and how it is used.

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Bloomberg Connects App

Connect with Manchester Art Gallery anywhere, anytime.
Experience Manchester Art Gallery wherever you are. Immerse yourself with our new digital resources on the free Bloomberg Connects app.
Take a look behind the scenes, discover new and old favourites, the stories behind the objects, videos and much more.

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And view our collection of oil paintings on Art UK

Our collection of 2,132 oil paintings can also be explored on Art UK. Here you can also discover 212,732 artworks, explore 3,261 venues and meet 38,370 artists. Art UK is the online home for every public art collection in the UK.

Commemorative plaques scheme

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Collection history

About
November 10, 2015

A History of the Collection

The story of nearly 200 years of art collecting in Manchester.
April 11, 2022

Fashion Gallery

We are excited to announce that Manchester Art Gallery will be opening its first dedicated Fashion Gallery this autumn.

November 16, 2020

#MAGfiction

See paintings differently. #MAGfiction is series of very short stories inspired by the paintings in our collection, fro...

February 14, 2021

Manchester’s Dutch Golden Age

Historian and Gallery tour guide John Ward reflects on Manchester’s paintings from the Dutch Golden Age

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