About

John Wonnacott Sir Edwin Manton 2000 Oil on Canvas 61 x 51 cm (24 x 28 inches) © Agnew’s, London Presented by a group of subscribers including Jeanne Donovan Fisher, Charlotte and Dennis Stevenson, Mr and Mrs Henry Christensen, David Meitus and Angela Westwater, Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild and Julie and Lawrence Salander in recognition of Sir Edwin Manton’s generosity to Tate

The Tate Americas Foundation is a 501(c)(3) independent Foundation that supports the work of Tate in the United Kingdom. It does this by acquiring works of art—by gift or acquisition— and by raising money to grant to Tate.

The Foundation was founded in 1987 when Sir Edwin Manton and Lady Manton created the American Fund for the Tate Gallery, a restricted endowment to acquire works of art from North and Latin America for presentation to Tate.  For over 35 years, this endowment has purchased seminal works by artists including John Baldessari, Louise Bourgeois, Philip Guston, Roni Horn, Joan Jonas, Christian Marclay, Bruce Nauman, Hélio Oiticica, Cy Twombly, Cindy Sherman, David Smith, Jeff Wall, Lawrence Weiner, and many more.

The Tate Americas Foundation formally opened offices in New York in 1999 to strengthen links in North and Latin America with the art community. Since that time, it has raised over $300 million for Tate.  TAF launched the North American Acquisitions Committee (NAAC) in 2001 which has since acquired works from artists including Roni Horn, Louise Lawler, Josiah McElheny, Raymond Pettibon, Robert Smithson, Kara Walker and Christopher Wool.  The Latin American Acquisitions Committee (LAAC) was formed in 2003 and has acquired works from artists including Maria Fernada Cardoso, Lygia Clark, Gego, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Guillermo Kuitca, Cildo Meireles and Hélio Oiticica.

In addition to acquiring art, the Tate Americas Foundation makes grants to Tate using funds that it has raised.  It supports numerous programs at Tate particularly in the fields of exhibitions, scholarship, and education.

TRUSTEES

Paul Britton (Chair)
Bob Rennie (President)
Maria Balshaw (Director of Tate)
Wendy Fisher
Glenn Fuhrman
Kevin McNamara
Jay Rivlin
Charlotte Santo Domingo
Kim Shirley
Jay Smith
Amanda Waldron

Trustees Emeriti
Tiqui Atencio Demirdjian
Estrellita Brodsky
John Studzinski CBE

Ex-Officio Trustees
Abigail Baratta (Co-Chair, North American Acquisitions Committee)
Heloisa Genish (Co-Chair, Latin American Acquisitions Committee)
Erica Roberts (Co-Chair, Latin American Acquisitions Committee)
George Wells (Co-Chair, North American Acquisitions Committee)