The year 2023 marks 20 years since Art UK started digitising artworks in public collections. In that time, we have recorded and photographed over 300,000 artworks, in 3,400 venues, in all parts of the UK.

The organisation was registered as a charity in 2002, as The Public Catalogue Foundation (PCF), which is still our legal name. The PCF was established to undertake the huge task of recording all of the oil paintings in public ownership in the UK, to provide greater access to publicly owned art, much of which is not on public display.

The oil paintings digitisation programme commenced in 2003 and was completed in 2012, during which time over 212,000 paintings had been recorded. Initially, we published printed catalogues, by county, city or collection, many of which can still be purchased through our shop.

The need to search artworks and artists quickly and easily across the UK's collections led to the creation of the BBC Your Paintings website, which launched in 2011. This website was replaced by a new, updated version in 2016, called Art UK. The organisation started using Art UK as its name at the same time.

Since 2013 we have added another 100,000 artworks to Art UK, over half of those through our sculpture digitisation programme (2017–2021). You can now also search and browse an increasing number of watercolours, prints, drawings, photographs, mixed media and textiles.

Our oil paintings and sculpture Coordinator teams were tasked with the job of liaising with art collections across the UK, gathering the artwork data and organising photography sessions with our network of photographers. This role could often be challenging and exhausting, but also fun and rewarding, giving the Coordinators the opportunity to see behind the scenes of a wide variety of locations and gave them direct access to artworks that few other people have.

Photographer Ian Skelton at Lambeth Palace

Alongside the Coordinator team for the sculpture project, a UK-wide network of volunteers digitised thousands of public sculptures and monuments.

We asked some of our Coordinators and our Public Art team to share memories from their time working for Art UK on the two largest art digitisation programmes ever run in the UK.

1. First oil painting photographs

The first oil paintings catalogues to be published were Kent (now out of print) and West Yorkshire: Leeds in 2004, with research and photography in these areas having started in 2003. My first photography session was a couple of years later, in 2006, at Wolverhampton Art Gallery. I can remember how nervous I was, especially as I'd not met my Photographer, Robert Glowacki, until that morning, but we quickly became friends and I got into a routine, juggling the list of paintings, paper labels with the artwork accession numbers, scissors, pens, and a magnifying glass.

By 2007, I was working as Coordinator Manager, overseeing the Coordinator team who were digitising paintings across the country. The first photography session that I visited as Coordinator Manager, was Trent Bridge, home of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As a huge cricket fan, I felt very privileged to be behind-the-scenes at the club and watch as the Coordinator and Photographer found an ingenious way to hold the colour card close to a painting which was high up on the wall. It was great to share tips and tricks like this with the other Coordinators across the UK.

Nottinghamshire Coordinator Angharad Jones and Photographer John MacLean

Katey Goodwin, oil paintings Coordinator, 2005–2007, oil paintings Coordinator Manager, 2007–2012

2. Working in a nuclear bunker

We photographed the oil paintings in Staffordshire in 2006 and at that time Staffordshire Moorlands District Council's art collection was stored in a nuclear bunker underneath the Council offices in Leek. Few people in the town know that the bunker is there, but if the UK had been subject to a nuclear attack during the Cold War, local government officials would have gathered in the bunker to monitor and manage what remained of the world outside.

Brough Park and the Nicholson Institute, Leek

The bunker was accessed down a set of stairs and through a very thick blast door. Inside, the large central room was being used as storage for their oil paintings, as well as archive boxes full of council papers. Smaller rooms off the central space housed the bunks, showers and wireless equipment the officials would have used if a nuclear attack took place. By 2006, the bunk beds were being used as handy storage shelves for boxes of artefacts from the council's collection.

Unsurprisingly, this is probably one of the most secure stores I visited for the PCF. Seeing where people would have lived and worked in the event of a nuclear war did make me feel a bit claustrophobic, however, even though I was only in there for a couple of days while we photographed the paintings. I can't imagine living there for months, whilst most of the world as we know it had been destroyed above our heads!

Katey Goodwin, oil paintings Coordinator, 2005–2007, oil paintings Coordinator Manager, 2007–2012

3. Whale bones, ships and sponge cakes

I initially worked on the East Riding of Yorkshire oil paintings catalogue which covered rural venues as well as urban locations such as Kingston upon Hull, where we worked in the bowels of the Hull Maritime Museum, a magnificent Victorian building in the main square. For over a week we photographed paintings of whaling ships amongst the actual bones of the whales themselves!

Hazel Buchan Cameron in Hull Maritime Museum store

Recording paintings in National Trust properties created some wonderful memories. At Seaton Delaval Hall in Northumberland, which had recently been acquired by the National Trust, we had to wear hard hats to access the paintings.

In the Lake District, we travelled by boat to Derwent Island where we were greeted by a beautiful setting and a freshly baked sponge cake before the work began!

Hazel Buchan Cameron, oil paintings Coordinator, 2008–2012

4. Parliament and a castle

Probably the most privileged access I had during the oil paintings digitisation project in Northern Ireland was Hillsborough Castle, the home of the NI Minister at the time. Prince William and Kate Middleton had recently signed the visitors' book for the castle, although we weren't asked to sign it too!

One of the loveliest surprises was to be found in the First Ministers' office at Stormont, which was a painting by William Conor (1881–1968) depicting the opening of the first Northern Ireland Parliament by George V on 22nd June 1921 in Belfast City Hall.

Alison Mitchelson, oil paintings Coordinator, 2008–2012

5. An exciting find and great hospitality

While recording the paintings at The Moot Hall in Maldon for the Essex catalogue we discovered a fine painting in the Court Room. I sent an image of Portrait of a Lady to Sir Roy Strong, who replied by return: 'Dress c.1595–1600 and I would think certainly by Robert Peake.' One of the most accomplished artists of his day, Peake was serjeant-painter to James VI and I. An exciting find!

We are currently unable to display this image due to copyright restrictions

It was no easy task organising the recording of Trinity College's 234 oil paintings spread over many locations on their large site in Cambridge. However, our contact, Paul Simm, planned the four days we spent there immaculately and looked after us beautifully. Paul arranged convenient parking, we ate at High Table and no time was wasted. We photographed numerous gentleman sitters but my favourite painting at Trinity was Edward Lear's Argos from Mycene.

Julia Abel Smith, oil paintings Coordinator, 2004–2012

6. Tight security

Security checks were a recurring theme whilst working on the oil paintings and sculpture projects. The paintings owned by the Police Museum in Northern Ireland were stored in a secret location, which we were only able to visit on the day of photography after following the curator in a car across Belfast.

It was a privilege to have coordinated the photography of the sculpture at Chequers Court, the private home of the Prime Minister, where security was one of the tightest I have encountered during many years as a Coordinator. We were even allocated our own toilet to use on the day and weren't allowed to use any others!

Alison Mitchelson, oil paintings Coordinator, 2008–2012; sculpture project Regional Digitisation Manager, 2017–2020

7. Detective work in Derbyshire

Being Coordinator for the Sheffield and Derbyshire catalogues brought unexpected pleasures. Travelling across wild moorlands, in and out of tiny villages, was wonderful.

I would later see such views in paintings, although it soon became clear that this job involved looking at the backs of paintings far more than the fronts! That's not as bad as it sounds, though, as new information could be found that way. I love a bit of detective work.

I loved Henry Lark I Pratt's paintings at Derby Museum & Art Gallery, but his similar views of Derby caused some confusion, so I had to create their very own spreadsheet to sort them out! I think we ended up finding one more than expected.

Paintings were in galleries, hospitals, universities and courts, in state-of-the-art storage, cupboards, offices, out on loan, in exhibitions. The strangest storage place? Old, glazed brick-lined toilet cubicles!

It was hard work, rewarding and a privilege to be part of such a ground-breaking project.

Pam Woolliscroft, oil paintings Coordinator, 2008–2012

8. Last oil painting photographs

The last painting to be photographed as part of the oil painting project, was Boots (They Were Christopher's) by Doris Brand at the National Football Museum, Manchester, in 2012.

This was a momentous occasion, as by this point, we had been cataloguing paintings for 10 years and had recorded over 210,000 artworks. The press was there and we were interviewed for the BBC's Newsround!

Coordinator Margaret Harrison and Photographer Gordon MacGregor

Our Director, Andrew Ellis, had hidden a small bottle of champagne in his bag, which we shared, in plastic cups, with the National Football Museum staff at the end of the day.

Art UK and National Football Museum staff celebrate the end of the oil paintings project

Katey Goodwin, oil paintings Coordinator, 2005–2007, oil paintings Coordinator Manager, 2007–2012

9. Testing, testing...

Quality and consistency of images are extremely important to Art UK. Before we started the sculpture project, a set of photography specifications was developed by our Photography Manager, Colin White, to allow the Photographers to capture images of sculptures in a variety of settings – in a gallery, in a temporary studio and outside.

York Art Gallery very kindly allowed us to test out the specifications in 2015, during the project's development phase. It was a busy time for them, as they were about to reopen after a major refurbishment, but the galleries were closed to visitors, and they gave us free rein to take our time testing out the photography of a variety of sculptures.

Sculpture photography testing at York Art Gallery in 2015

Throughout the project, temporary studios were set up in stores, offices and galleries to photograph smaller, portable artworks, against a grey background. The Photographers had to be adaptable to work in many different locations, sometimes in cramped conditions.

It was not unusual to have to move the photographic equipment several times during the day, so equipment was kept to a minimum – camera, tripod, a roll of grey background paper, one light and reflectors. Even with minimal equipment, the results were often stunning.

Photographer Jaron James photographing 'The Fury of Athamas' at Ickworth, Suffolk

Katey Goodwin, sculpture Project Manager, 2017–2021

10. First sculpture photographs

Once we started the Art UK Sculpture project, photography of sculpture in collections commenced in April 2018. The first collection to be photographed was Beecroft Art Gallery, Southend-on-Sea, Essex. The gallery holds 49 sculptures, including works by Jacob Epstein, George Alfred Holman and Faith Winter.

The very first sculpture to be photographed as part of the project was Marchesa Casati (1881–1957) by Jacob Epstein (1880–1959).

The Art UK digitisation team celebrated the start of photography by having a group photo with one of the sculptures. They were even visited by local officials from Southend-on-Sea to mark the occasion.

The Art UK digitisation team at Beecroft Art Gallery, April 2018

Katey Goodwin, sculpture Project Manager, 2017–2021

11. Cold hands, warm memories

Working on the sculpture project was a great experience. I always found Art UK a supportive and enthusiastic environment and felt conscious of being part of something that had many positive outcomes.

I remember trying to use scissors, a pen and measuring tape in intense cold in the formal gardens at Mount Stewart in mid-December; cutting out reference numbers for works from endless printed lists that became more confusing as the day wore on; the sculptor Bob Sloan trying to get a mechanical construction working at the Royal Ulster Academy; and being able to record the collection at the F. E. McWilliam Studio and Gallery so that this notable collection could join Art UK.

Northern Ireland did not have the vast individual collections of sculpture and objects that some Coordinators in other parts of the country had to deal with and I always felt both relieved and slightly jealous about this! But it was always a pleasure to find something exceptional, such as a rare, modernist stone carving from the early 1930s by George MacCann at Armagh County Museum, or an important Rosamond Praeger stone carving situated in a soon-to-be-demolished maternity unit at a hospital trust.

Dickon Hall, sculpture Coordinator, 2017–2019

12. At the far north of the UK

I was the Sculpture project coordinator for Eastern Scotland, and I was also asked to cover the Shetland collections.

While working with Angus Council on the William Lamb collection, I became aware of another Montrose-based artist, Adam Christie. He had sculpted imaginary heads from found sandstone pieces. He was close to William Lamb, even acting as a model for a Lamb sculpture, The Daily News c.1935. I was keen to find more of Christie's work, as he had originally come from Shetland. I became aware that Shetland Museum and Archives had Goliath (1935), a large Christie work, so I travelled on the overnight ferry up to Lerwick from Aberdeen. It was an amazing journey; the sky was pitch-black but luckily very calm seas. Once on Shetland, myself and photographer Carsten Flieger worked with museum curator Carol Christianson to document the Christie sculpture.

Photographer Carsten Flieger photographing 'Goliath' by Adam Christie

We also travelled to other small collections on the islands, but the only way to travel was by car. I have a great memory of us following Carol in her small car out of Lerwick into the wilds of Shetland, along single-track roads, on and off small ferries to reach the sculptures with 'Road to Nowhere' by Talking Heads on the car stereo.

Travelling across Shetland to photograph sculpture

Iain Irving, sculpture Coordinator, 2017–2019

13. Yarn bombing

Many times, I have travelled to a location to photograph a public sculpture, only to find it encased in scaffold, surrounded by road works, or obscured by street furniture or parked vehicles. Sometimes you can arrive in a local area and there is an event happening, or it is a sunny day and people are enjoying themselves. Although you try to avoid the busiest times of day sometimes you just have to get on with the job in hand. All you can do is walk up, be polite, ask people to step aside quickly take your photographs, thank them and leave.

All volunteers are expected to do is to record what they find. It is not their place to clean the sculpture, or to remove objects, graffiti or encroaching foliage. When I arrived to photograph the statue of a dog called Snooks at Aldeburgh, Suffolk, he had been yarn-bombed. Sculptures, once unveiled, become a member of the community in which they live. From time to time, clothes or accessories are added.

When I took this picture, many eyes were watching me as I loosened the scarf to record the markings on the collar of the sculpture. As an outsider, it was not my place to intervene.

Tracy Jenkins, Public Sculpture Officer, 2018–2021

14. Tiny polar bears in Cambridge

When you begin as a Coordinator, you are given a list of collections in your region to check out. My list was over 230 lines long – and that was just for starters. At first it felt very daunting, but that list took me to all kinds of places to see all kinds of artworks. One day I would be measuring constructivist sculpture in the renowned Sainsbury Centre for Visual Art, a few days later I would be at the much smaller Dunwich Museum photographing three lovely medieval heads – vestiges of the nearby abbey.

If I hadn't had that list, I would never have thought to visit the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge. It sounded very science-y to me (and cold). But it introduced me to the beautiful creative works of artists from North Canada, Greenland and Alaska, including perhaps the tiniest sculpture I came across – a little polar bear that sat in the middle of the curator's blue-gloved palm.

Strangely, the polar bear, the medieval heads and the sculptures at the Sainsbury Centre looked kind of similar to me. I feel now that art really is everywhere and interconnected in many ways.

Christine Blackburn, sculpture Coordinator, 2018–2020

15. Whale eardrums and dodging cruise ships

We had some fantastic venues in Scotland – some that stick especially in the memory are the incredible surrounds of St Magnus Cathedral in Orkney (where we had to plan the entire photography schedule around the visiting cruise ships) and getting to work inside Edinburgh Castle at night.

The most unusual venue I worked in was probably the mortuary of a hospital! Working in hospitals and other healthcare settings was always a delicate balance – trying to get the best photography while not intruding or disturbing anyone.

Photography Manager Jessie Maucor photographing 'Bishop and Quadruped*' at National Museums Scotland

Photographers and I took planes and ferries to get to different islands, and on several occasions at the venue, the photographer had an additional journey in a cherry picker to get the best shot.

There were so many fantastic collections that were nearly always working under limited resources. The staff at the RSA and Edinburgh Museums & Galleries made life very easy for us getting all hands on deck, but there were so many collections (including tiny rural venues run by volunteers) that also went above and beyond.

We photographed so many fascinating objects, but this painted eardrum of a whale certainly sticks in the memory!

Rhona Taylor, sculpture Coordinator, 2017–2019

16. Manchester and Liverpool Libraries

There were two special locations, which I visited while working on the sculpture digitisation project. The first was The Portico Library and Gallery in Manchester.

The library was established by 400 founding subscribers in 1806, with its history rooted in both the Industrial Revolution and the British Empire. Until the Married Women's Property Act of 1870, its members were all men, ranging from Radical and Liberal abolitionists and anti-poverty campaigners to exploitative factory owners and textile traders. Later, Manchester author Elizabeth Gaskell became a member.

Today it is a subscription library, but its exhibitions and café are open to all. When I paid my initial visit on my own, it was just wonderful to pick a book from the shelf and sink into a deep armchair.

The other special location was also a library – the Grade II* listed Hornby Library Picton Reading Room at Liverpool Central Library. It houses a bust of Ken Dodd, who was a regular library user.

Maybe my love of libraries stems from the fact that my father was a librarian in Manchester. I do know that working as a Coordinator for Art UK enabled me to visit places that I might not have gone to otherwise.

Adrienne Wallman, oil paintings Coordinator, 2010–2012 and sculpture Coordinator, 2017–2019

17. The long arm of the law

Public artworks in the UK can pop up in all sorts of places from shopping malls, business districts, transport hubs, busy roundabouts or near sensitive public buildings such as parliament or government buildings. All public sculpture volunteers are provided with a 'Letter of Authority' which provides an explanation as to why the photographs are being taken. They introduce the volunteer and provide contact information for Art UK in case verification is needed.

From time to time volunteers are rightly challenged by local security or police officers, we advise volunteers to contact security and make themselves known, but sometimes it is just not obvious that you have wandered into a 'sensitive' area. We always advise that volunteers are courteous and comply. Sometimes all it needs is a quick email and the volunteer can either carry on or return another suitable day. Shopping malls have featured on the escorted exit list a few times.

When training volunteers in the West Country, we were busy discussing the photography of a sculpture, when a security guard approached. 'Don't include this building!' he forcefully exclaimed. We were all puzzled and looked up at the adjacent building we had not even noticed before he pointed it out. We finished photographing the sculpture and never did understand what the mysterious building was!

In Scotland, the laws sometimes differ from those in other parts of the UK. One volunteer was driving along the road slowly looking for an elusive sculpture he needed to record, then was very surprised to be pulled over by the Police and challenged for kerb crawling! Luckily, he had his letter from Art UK with him to explain he was only searching for a sculpture and not a temporary companion.

Tracy Jenkins, Public Sculpture Officer, 2018–2021

18. Sculpture selfies

I worked as a Regional Coordinator for Art UK for the City of London and Westminster and it was an absolute privilege to be part of such a great project. You might say I am biased, but I really do think I had the best region of all the Coordinators!

Some of my many highlights included a tour of the Bank of England whilst photographing their sculpture; spending a couple of days in the Sir John Soane's Museum with the house to ourselves; navigating the huge amount of sculpture at St Paul's Cathedral whilst services were ongoing; and having a look around Parliament.

My favourite collection was actually one that involved a trip out of my region. The Ingram Collection of Modern British and Contemporary Art is on medium-term loan to The Lightbox in Woking and so we spent a day there photographing some of the most incredible sculptures, including works by Lynn Chadwick and Elisabeth Frink. You must go and visit!

Alongside the wonderful sculpture, the friendship and support from my fellow London-based Coordinators and the photographers I worked with over the two years was the cherry on the top of the cake! What a brilliant and professional team, it was a joy to work with everyone involved. I also have a hilarious album of accidental selfies as testament to the lengths you need to go to, to find inscriptions on sculptures!

Laura Davidson takes an accidental selfie photographing a signature on the back of a sculpture

Laura Davidson, sculpture Coordinator, 2018–2020

19. Accidents and unusual costumes

Essex was great fun and an incredible introduction to the project. On one of my first days photographing public sculpture in Harlow, I spotted one of my first artworks to record. It was on a grass verge that sat between a row of houses and the main road into Harlow town. I parked my car, prepared my camera and strode off with purpose.

The verge is surrounded by a waist-high wooden barrier fence. Not wishing to crawl underneath the fence, I cocked my leg over the top and completely misjudged my inside leg measurement. Even with a hastily pointed toe, my foot cleared the grass and still sitting on the fence, I was unceremoniously dumped on the grass verge, flat on my back with my camera in the air. After looking round for witnesses laughing, I ran off the shots I needed before beating a retreat, back under the fence, red-faced to my car!

On another trip out in Essex, I was very keen to capture a brand-new installation on a housing development near Basildon. I made a few contacts with the artist and developers, and they allowed me access to the live building site to photograph the sculpture. However, I had to provide my own hard hat and hi-vis on short notice. I wondered what to do, then I remembered I had been to a fancy dress 1980s disco the Christmas before and we had dressed up as a crew of workmen in bright pink hi-vis vests and hats – so I raided the dressing-up box and got my pics!

Tracy Jenkins, Public Sculpture Officer, 2018–2021

20. Last sculpture photographs

The final collection to be photographed for the sculpture project was the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew on 28th September 2020.

This collection includes a group of sculptures called the Queen's Beasts, a replica set of sculptures made in Portland stone in 1956 by James Woodford. These replicas are based on a set of ten heraldic statues produced by the Ministry of Works for the coronation ceremony of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. The originals are now in the Canadian Museum of History in Quebec, whilst these replicas stand outside in Kew Gardens.