Arts and culture at the ECB

Our art collection comprises around 480 paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures and art objects. It continues to grow, mainly through the acquisition of artworks for the “Contemporary art from the Member States of the European Union” annual exhibition series, which features a different country every year. The series aims to showcase the diverse range of each country’s artistic output and highlight some of the key ideas currently being discussed in the art world.

Since 2015, our collection has further expanded with acquisitions relating to specific themes. Over time, it has become a record that reflects on the developments in contemporary European art that have taken place since the 1990s. In 2018, the 21st exhibition of the series put the contemporary art scene of Estonia into the spotlight and in 2019, we will feature contemporary art from Croatia. Guided tours of the collection in the ECB’s main building will be available from the beginning of 2019.