Museums and Galleries Act 1992

2 The general functions of the new Boards. E+W

(1) So far as practicable and subject to the provisions of this Act, the National Gallery Board shall maintain a collection of works of art, principally consisting of pictures, of established merit or significance, and of documents relating to those works, and shall—

(a) care for, preserve and add to the works of art and the documents in their collection;

(b) secure that the works of art are exhibited to the public;

(c) secure that the works of art and the documents are available to persons seeking to inspect them in connection with study or research; and

(d) generally promote the public’s enjoyment and understanding of painting and other fine art both by means of the Board’s collection and by such other means as they consider appropriate.

(2) So far as practicable and subject to the provisions of this Act, the Tate Gallery Board shall maintain a collection of British works of art and of documents relating to those works, and a collection of Twentieth Century and contemporary works of art and of documents relating to those works, and shall—

(a) care for, preserve and add to the works of art and the documents in their collections;

(b) secure that the works of art are exhibited to the public;

(c) secure that the works of art and the documents are available to persons seeking to inspect them in connection with study or research; and

(d) generally promote the public’s enjoyment and understanding of British art, and of Twentieth Century and contemporary art, both by means of the Board’s collections and by such other means as they consider appropriate;

and any reference in this Act to a new Board’s collection shall, in its application to the Tate Gallery Board, be taken as a reference to either or both of that Board’s collections.

(3) So far as practicable and subject to the provisions of this Act, the National Portrait Gallery Board shall maintain a collection of portraits of the most eminent persons in British history, of other works of art relevant to portraiture and of documents relating to those portraits and other works of art, and shall—

(a) care for, preserve and add to the portraits and other works of art and the documents in their collection;

(b) secure that the portraits are exhibited to the public;

(c) secure that the portraits and other works of art and the documents are available to persons seeking to inspect them in connection with study or research; and

(d) generally promote the public’s enjoyment and understanding of portraiture of British persons and British history through portraiture both by means of the Board’s collection and by such other means as they consider appropriate.

(4) So far as practicable and subject to the provisions of this Act, the Wallace Collection Board shall maintain the collection of objects known as the Wallace Collection and shall—

(a) care for and preserve the objects in their collection;

(b) secure that the objects are exhibited to the public;

(c) secure that the objects are available to persons seeking to inspect them in connection with study or research; and

(d) generally promote the public’s enjoyment and understanding of fine and applied art both by means of the Board’s collection and by such other means as they consider appropriate.

(5) Subject to the provisions of this Act, a new Board may, for the purposes of whichever of subsections (1) to (4) above confers functions upon them—

(a) provide education, instruction and advice and carry out research;

(b) enter into contracts and other agreements (including agreements for the new Board’s occupation or management of its principal building or of other premises); and

(c) acquire and dispose of land and other property.

(6) Subject to the provisions of this Act, a new Board may do such things (including requiring payment for admission or for other services or for goods provided by them) as they think necessary or expedient—

(a) for preserving, and increasing the utility of, their collection;

(b) for securing the due administration of anything vested in or acquired by them, and any premises occupied or managed by them, under or by virtue of this Act; and

(c) otherwise for the purposes of their functions.

(7) If a Minister of the Crown directs a new Board to exercise functions—

(a) which are exercisable by him (whether by virtue of an enactment or otherwise),

(b) which in his opinion can appropriately be exercised by that new Board, having regard to their functions and resources, and

(c) which are specified in the direction,

the new Board shall exercise them on his behalf in such manner as he may from time to time direct; but nothing in this subsection authorises the new Board to exercise a function of making regulations or other instruments of a legislative character.

(8) A new Board shall not acquire or dispose of land without the consent of the Lord President of the Council.

(9) A new Board may allow premises occupied or managed by them to be used by other persons (for payment or otherwise) for purposes not connected with the functions mentioned in whichever of subsections (1) to (4) above has effect in relation to that new Board, if the new Board are satisfied that to do so would not conflict unduly with those functions.

(10) The reference in subsection (5)(b) above to a new Board’s “principal building” is a reference—

(a) in the case of the National Gallery Board, to the premises known as the National Gallery;

(b) in the case of the Tate Gallery Board, to the premises known as the Tate Gallery;

(c) in the case of the National Portrait Gallery Board, to the premises known as the National Portrait Gallery; and

(d) in the case of the Wallace Collection Board, to the premises known as Hertford House.

Commencement Information

I1 S. 2 wholly in force at 1.9.1992 by s. 11(4) and S.I. 1992/1874, art. 2