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Welcome to The Hyman Collection.
Our Mission
The Hyman Collection is dedicated to making its extensive collection and archive of British photography accessible to a global audience through exhibitions, a comprehensive touring exhibition programme for museums and galleries, and the creation of this website as an online educational resource.
Our Vision
The Hyman Collection seeks to support and celebrate the diversity of photography in Britain from historic figures to contemporary trailblazers; to foster education and encourage engagement through wide-ranging loans and touring exhibitions; and to enrich, inspire, and cultivate a deeper appreciation for photography in Britain.
Our History
The Hyman Collection was founded by Claire and James Hyman in 1996 and is based in London. It has grown to become one of the most significant collections of British photography in the world.
Our Collection
The Hyman Collection includes over 10,000 artworks. It ranges from historic photographs, including major holdings of rare vintage works by Bill Brandt, John Deakin, Kurt Hutton and Edith Tudor Hart, through major international figures such as John Coplans and Susan Hiller, and on to the latest contemporary work by young artists working in photography, especially by women, including Heather Agyepong, Juno Calypso, Arpita Shah and Paloma Tendero.
The Hyman Collection includes conceptual artists working in photography such as Helen Chadwick, Gilbert and George, Douglas Gordon, Rose Finn-Kelcey, Jo Spence and Jane and Louise Wilson. It also includes forms of documentary photography including entire series of works by Anna Fox, Karen Knorr, Daniel Meadows and Paul Seawright.
The Hyman Collection celebrates diversity and seeks to support women in photography.
Our Archives
In seeking to preserve photographic culture in Britain, the Hyman Collection has acquired a number of photographer's estates, archives, installations, complete exhibitions, bodies of work and boxed sets.
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Philanthropy
In seeking to support photography in Britain, the Hyman Collection has made major donations of photographs to the Yale Centre for British Art, New Haven, USA and to the Bodleian Libraries, Oxford, UK. We are also major supporters of the charity The Centre for British Photography (CBP) (registered charity number 1190955).
In order to support the Centre for British Photography with programming and revenue since 2023, the Hyman Collection has been administrated by the Centre for British Photography. The Hyman Collection has never charged a fee for museum loans. However, the CBP, as the administrator of these loans, does charge a fee to reflect registrar time. This fee provides a source of income for the charity.
Loan Requests. Please email registrar@britishphotography.org
Press Enquiries. Please email press@hymancollection.org
General Questions. Please email info@hymancollection.org
Education
This website is intended as an educational resource. It shares information on the photographs in the Hyman Collection; gives an overview of our archives; presents essays and texts; provides links to other websites and is intended to facilitate loans to museums and public institutions.
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TIMELINE
2015
Launch of new website, www.hymancollection.org, as an education resource, based on British photographs in the private collection of Claire and James Hyman.
Donates set of 34 prints by Alan Davie to the British Museum, London
2018
Donates 125 photographs to the Yale Center for British Art in New Haven, USA
2018-19The Hepworth Wakefield stages Modern Nature. Photographs from the Hyman Collection
2019
Donates 100 photographs to the Bodleian Library in Oxford, UK
The Hyman Collection commissions Heather Agyepong’s new series Wish You Were Here (premiered Spring 2020).
2020March. At the start of the pandemic, Claire is redeployed to help with Covid-19 patients in intensive care, while James organises one of the first Covid-19 fundraisers for the NHS, donating all the artworks to the fundraising sale.
Claire and James set up The Hyman Foundation (Charity Commission No. 1190955) to support photography in Britain.
2020-21The Arnolfini in Bristol stages two exhibitions of works from the collection:
Jo Spence. From Fairy Tales to Photo Therapy. Photographs from the Hyman Collection.
A Picture of Health. Women Photographers from the Hyman Collection
2021Oxford Photo Festival stages A Different Mirror. Women Photographers from the Hyman Collection
2022
James founds the new Centre for British Photography. Claire becomes Chair of Trustees. Details here
2023
January. Opening of the Centre for British Photography in Jermyn Street in Central London. The first shows include The English at Home. 20th Century Photographs from the Hyman Collection curated by James Hyman.
In recognition of its new public status, The Hyman Foundation is renamed the Centre for British Photography with an expanded board of eight trustees.
Photo London at Somerset House, as part of its public programme, stages a major exhibition, curated by James Hyman entitled Writing Her Own Script. Women Photographers from the Hyman Collection.
2024
Ben Uri Art Gallery and Museum stage Uncharted Streets: Kurt Hutton, Bill Brandt, Edith Tudor Hart, Charlie Phillips, Markéta Luskačová. Photographs from the Hyman Collection.
Oxford Festival of the Arts present photographs from the Hyman Collection in Arpita Shah. Modern Muse, June-July
Belfast Exposed stage two exhibitions of works from the Hyman Collection:
Jo Spence: A Woman's Place?, October - December
Arpita Shah. Modern Muse, October- December
2024-25
The Hyman Collection is a major lender to The 80s. Photographing Britain at Tate Britain.
2025
Loans of Bert Hardy, Ken Grant, and Jo Spence to Lives Less Ordinary: Working-Class Britain Re-seen at Two Temple Place.