We are delighted to announce that The Burton at Bideford has been awarded the prestigious 2026 Hallett Independent Acquisitions Award at the London Original Print Fair.
The award has enabled us to acquire two remarkable etchings by celebrated artist Dame Paula Rego RA for The Burton’s permanent collection: Mary, Mary Quite Contrary I (1989) and Little Miss Muffet I (1989).
Paula Rego (1935–2022) was a pre-eminent British-Portuguese visual artist and fierce storyteller who used emotionally charged figurative art to subvert fairy tales, challenge social norms, and champion women’s rights. Part of Rego’s Nursery Rhymes series, the works reimagine familiar childhood tales through the artist’s distinctive visual language. Their acquisition brings work by one of the twentieth century’s most influential artists to North Devon, making internationally significant art accessible to local audiences and enriching The Burton’s growing collection.
The works were selected by our Director Harriet Cooper for purchase through RAW Editions, a London-based gallery with expertise in post-war and contemporary editions.
Harriet Cooper said:
“We are thrilled to welcome these important works to The Burton’s collection, where they will support future exhibitions, learning programmes and community engagement. This purchase is part of our strategy to bring work by leading contemporary artists into conversation with the unique heritage of Northern Devon, reflecting on how our rich local identity connects to vital global conversations.”
RAW Editions shared:
“It was fantastic meeting Harriet Cooper and we are thrilled to be able to support their curatorial and educational programme through this acquisition. These have been works close to our heart as a young family and we can’t wait to follow their journey at The Burton as they become part of the local community and inspire new artists.”
The Hallett Independent Acquisitions Award is a purchase grant to enable a museum or gallery to acquire an original print or prints for their collection. The Award aims not only to enhance art collections across the country, but also to build relationships between museum curators and the art market. Hallett Independent, who generously fund the Award, are brokers specialising in fine art and heritage insurance, committed to supporting museums throughout the country.
Elena Carofyllakis from Hallett Independent said:
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The Burton’s permanent collection includes over 3,000 artworks and objects, covering a breadth of specialisms including fine art, ceramics, decorative art, photography and works on paper. Originally established through artist Hubert Coop RBA’s gift to the borough of Bideford, the collection has grown through major acquisitions and gifts over the past 75-years to represent works of local, national and international significance.
The acquisitions supported by Hallett Independent will be included in the two-year project Burton 2101: Collections for the Future supported by Art Fund, and be part of a forthcoming project exploring the trope of the vilified woman in relation to the history of The Bideford Witch Trials in 1682 which resulted in the last documented executions of women accused of witchcraft in England.
