The Bristol office of wealth management firm LGT Vestra has helped give some of the city’s most valuable works of art a more secure future as a result of a partnership with the RWA (Royal West of England Academy).
LGT Vestra has partnered with the RWA, Bristol’s first art gallery, to sponsor is Permanent Collection, which includes more than 1,700 artworks – an unrivalled body of paintings, drawings, prints and sculpture by a range of artists with close connections to Bristol and the West of England. 
The year-long sponsorship will help to fund the cost of conserving work in the gallery’s collection, protecting it against deterioration and securing it for future generations to enjoy.
The sponsorship arrangement will also foster the careers of future curators. As part of the partnership, LGT Vestra will sponsor an exhibition, opening in May and curated by University of Bristol students, which features work from the RWA’s Permanent Collection.
As a result, the MA History of Art course students will gain first-hand experience of working with art in a gallery setting, giving them an added advantage when starting their curatorial careers.
LGT Vestra head of South-West, Andrew Davies, said: “As a privately owned wealth management firm, we are driven by a long-term perspective, building lasting relationships with our clients across multiple generations.
“This approach mirrors the RWA’s conservation of the Permanent Collection, ensuring that future generations are able to enjoy the work. It is a privilege for us to play a part in supporting this.
“We are also delighted to sponsor the exhibition curated by students from the University of Bristol. Art plays a key role in our firm’s history. One of the most important private collections in the world, The Princely Collections, has been built over the last 400 years by LGT’s owner, The Princely Family of Liechtenstein.
RWA director Alison Bevan added: “We are extremely pleased that LGT Vestra has joined us in this partnership arrangement as our first sponsors of our Permanent Collection. Their investment will help us to care for the outstanding artworks we own and to utilise them to nurture the next generation of curators, as well as enabling the public to enjoy great works of art here in Bristol.
“As an independent charity, corporate sponsorship is invaluable in supporting our mission to encourage enjoyment and understanding of art and to inspire and cultivate creativity for everyone.”
UK-based LGT Vestra provides a comprehensive range of investment management, wealth planning and private investment offices services. It employs around 230 staff in its offices in London, Bristol and Jersey. It is part of LGT, a leading international private banking and asset management group that has been fully controlled by the Liechtenstein Princely Family for over 80 years.
Works from the RWA’s Permanent Collection can be viewed online through the Art UK website – https://artuk.org/visit/collection/royal-west-of-england-academy-2404
Pictured: Janette Kerr ‘Approaching Rain (Northumbrian Coast)’
