The money will be used to fund a 12 month programme linked to the Art Gallery's Pop Art collection, including research and the development of displays as well as encouraging links with international partnerships to increase understanding and use of the collection.
Marguerite Nugent, Curatorial Services and Programme Development Manager at the Art Gallery, said: "We are delighted to continue our relationship with the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and this funding allows us to further develop national and international recognition for Wolverhampton and the Pop collection as well as allowing us to take our research in new directions.
"Wolverhampton Art Gallery is home to one of the largest and most significant collections of Pop Art outside London. The collection includes iconic works by Andy Warhol, Peter Blake, Roy Lichtenstein and Richard Hamilton as well as many other artists associated with the Pop movement. In 2012, we acquired 14 key works by artists associated with Pop, gifted to the Art Gallery by Eric and Jean Cass through the Contemporary Art Society. The collection includes European artists and we are interested in how these artists influenced and were influenced by British and American Pop.
"This funding means we have the opportunity to develop inspiring new international partnerships and develop our existing relationship with the Muzeum Sztuki in Łódź, Poland, who will borrow a selection of works from the Pop collection in 2014. We will be able to build on the success of our programme strand devoted to lesser known Pop artists such as the latest exhibition at the Art Gallery, Pauline Boty: Pop Artist and Woman, which is proving to be very popular with our visitors and attracting national media attention."
- released: Monday 24 June, 2013