NEW HAL L
NEW HALL IS THE HOME OF THE BIGGEST COLLECTION OF ART MADE BY WOMEN IN EUROPE. RUTHIE COLLINS FINDS OUT MORE
o many people have fallen in love with the college, fallen in love with the collection, fallen in love with the building.
There’s a lot to love about this place,” says Harriet Loffler, curator for New Hall Art Collection at Murray Edwards College – and she’s not wrong. What started with the acquisition of Extase , a six-part work from US feminist artist Mary Kelly in 1986, has since grown to Europe’s largest collection of art made by women. Over 500 works across all media housed in a Grade II listed building, in an all-women college at Cambridge University with stunning gardens; the collection is an active challenge to gender inequality in the art world. Yes, the collection is in a college setting, but it’s a stone’s throw from the city centre up on Huntington Road, open 10am to 6pm, every day. “It’s a mini Utopia,” Harriet laughs. For lovers of great art, this is a utopia open to anyone, throughout the week. “It’s so different to the standard Cambridge college here and the usual ‘don’t walk on the grass,’ ‘closed to visitors’. We’re like – ‘come and make use of this wonderful resource!’” Harriet says. “There’s a freedom here, an invitation to come and enjoy the work.” And those that come, really do. Quite often, as with many of the
Emin. “There is a real spirit of generosity resulting from all the works being donated and being open to the public,” says Harriet. Generosity is key to the collection, which was amassed after a call was put out for further works in the late 1980s by then- president of the college, Valerie Pearl, who wrote to 100 artists asking for donations. Works were donated from artists including Paula Rego, Maggi Hambling and Turner Prize winner, Lubaina Himid.
more hidden museums in Cambridge, it’s just a case of knowing the collection is there. “People spend two or three hours here, with the self-guided tour. It can take a lot to step over that college threshold, so once here, they are very engaged.” It’s difficult not to be. Just a simple walk around the corridors of the college gives you intimate access to extraordinary pieces; excellent work, by many leading artists – from Bridget Riley to Tracey
“Just a simple walk around the corridors of the college gives you intimate access to extraordinary pieces by many leading artists”
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