The EIB does not have a dedicated public exhibition space, but shares its cultural assets with the public by regularly curating external exhibitions of its collection throughout landmark European cultural venues. Previous and future exhibitions include:
- Belonging, 2022, multi-site exhibition, Limerick, Ireland
- Beyond Borders, 2018 - 2019, Boghossian Foundation – Villa Empain, Brussels, Belgium
- EuroScope, 2015 – 2016, Cercle Cité, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
- Within/Beyond Borders, 2014, Museu do Dinheiro - Banco de Portugal, Lisbon, Portugal
- Within/Beyond Borders, 2011, Byzantine and Christian Museum, Athens, Greece
The EIB Collection is open to the public upon request.
https://institute.eib.org/programmes/arts/art-collection
Launch year:
1958
Number of artworks:
Around 1000 works of art, including around 800 contemporary artworks
Status of collection:
International
Artistic domain:
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has an art collection of some 1000 works ranging across all media: paintings, photographs, works on paper, sculptures, installations, media-based art and site-specific commissions. The collection consists mostly of European contemporary art and is complemented by Old Masters, 19th century and modern pieces acquired prior to the establishment of a collecting policy focused solely on European contemporary art in the 1990s.
The collecting policy requires works of art to have been produced after 1958, by an artist alive at the time of acquisition who comes from one of the EU Member States or candidate countries. Art acquisitions are subject to a rigorous process of selection, under the guidance of an Arts Committee and with the assistance of industry experts. The guiding philosophy of the EIB art collection is to respond keenly to strategic developments in the EIB and the EU. Through its distinctive collecting policy, it provides a living testament to the construction/deployment and questioning of Europe and a forward-looking window on emerging talent.
The development of the collection remains a continuous process of renewal, reflecting the changing European landscape from the point of view of European artists. In recent years, efforts have been made to develop different means of sourcing work from newly established artists as well as to ensure more diversity and inclusion in the collection.
Commission program / Site-specific order(s) :
Jaume Plensa, BORN-DIE, 1999
Tamás Trombitás, Letters, 1999
Magdalena Jetelová, Chair, 2000
Michael Craig-Martin, Parade, 2005-2008
Michael Craig-Martin, One World, 2005-2008
Tobias Rehberger, 283 Individual Works on Paper, 2008
Artists Development Programme (ADP)
The ADP is an innovative mentoring/residency initiative to scout for, support and boost the emergence of promising artists. Launched in 2013, and now in its tenth edition, the ADP offers emerging European visual artists under the age of 35 the opportunity to develop their practice in a high quality professional context without any material constraints. It involves the creation of an art project under the mentorship of an internationally renowned artist. The mentors provide exceptional tutoring and networking avenues for young artists, while the exhibition of the produced works at the EIB premises adds the legitimacy and visibility of an established setting.
Upon the completion of the residency, the EIB considers acquiring the artworks produced. Since its inception in 2013, 29 artists or artistic duos have benefited from the programme, about 45 bodies of work have been produced and more than 30 of them have been included in the EIB collection.
Since its inception, the programme has consistently grown in scope and popularity among budding artists. Three calls for applications are separately established for each edition of the ADP, with either a geographic or a thematic focus, respectively drawing on artists from countries under-represented in internationally recognised European art spheres or addressing the strategic priorities of the EIB and topical issues in our society.
To mark the tenth anniversary of the ADP in 2022, the residency will exceptionally take place at Cité internationale des arts in Paris. Acclaimed Franco-Italian artist Tatiana Trouvé, professor at Beaux Arts Paris and winner of the Marcel Duchamp prize (2007), is the mentor for the 2022 and 2023 editions.
Names of recent laureates: Meta Drcar, Panayiotis Doukanaris, Niamh Schmidtke, Pamela Diamante,Karel Koplimets, Mark McGuinness and Darta Sidere.
About the company
Launch year:
1958
International presence:
Some 40 offices around the world
Annual revenue:
Not disclosed
Number of employees:
Around 3,000 employees
Profile of the company:
The EIB is the lending arm of the European Union. It is the biggest multilateral financial institution in the world and one of the largest providers of climate finance. It is the only bank owned by and representing the interests of the EU Member States. The EIB provides finance and expertise for sound and sustainable investment projects that contribute to furthering EU policy objectives. More than 90% of the EIB's activity is focused on Europe but it also supports the EU's external and development policies.