The EIB has a collection of more than 700 works of art, of which about 580 contemporary pieces. The collection encompasses paintings, photographs, works on paper, sculptures and installations. It contains mainly works of European contemporary art but also some Old Masters, 19th century and modern artworks. The current collecting policy has been designed to very gradually create a unique and long-term perspective on contemporary EU art. The Bank has tended to acquire art at an early stage in an artist’s career: some of the artists have since become widely recognised, or even iconic and internationally acclaimed such as Janis Kounellis, Anish Kapoor, Tony Cragg, Sean Scully or Olivier Debré. The artistic focus of the art collection reflects the EIB’s role at the forefront of promoting economic and social development in Europe and naturally interacts with the evolving scope of the Bank’s character and activities, particularly its geographic expansion in line with that of the EU.

About the EIB

The EIB is the European Union's bank. It is the only bank owned by and representing the interests of the EU Member States. It works closely with the other EU institutions to implement EU policy. As the largest multilateral borrower and lender by volume, it provides finance and expertise for sound and sustainable investment projects which contribute to furthering EU policy objectives. More than 90% of the EIB's activity is focused on Europe but the Bank also supports the EU's external and development policies.

A special exhibition will showcase the works of the laureates of the previous editions of the Artists’ Development Programme (ADP)

The ADP offers emerging European visual artists (under the age of 35) a residency in Luxembourg mentored by an internationally renowned European artist, enabling them to develop their artistic portfolio, bring about the “production” of an art project and be introduced to appropriate public fora. For the 2015 and 2016 editions, the mentor is British visual artist Darren Almond. Calls for applications target both artists originating from countries under-represented in the EIB art collection and artists wishing to explore themes linked to the Bank’s strategy (sustainable development, water and climate change, etc.).