Biography
Designed by architects Erick van Egeraat Associates, MIMA, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, part of Teesside University, opened in 2007 set in a contemporary square at the heart of the city. Middlesbrough's art collection was originally split across the town’s three arts venues: Middlesbrough Art Gallery, Cleveland Craft Centre and Cleveland Gallery which has now been brought together at MIMA. There are a number of modern works by British artists, including Walter Sickert, Duncan Grant and Victor Pasmore. MIMA is most noted for its strong collection of 20th and 21st century drawings, reflecting the impact of the Cleveland International Drawing Biennale.
The contemporary collection includes drawings by Francis Alÿs, Graham Gussin, Tracey Emin, Toby Paterson, Paul Noble, George Shaw and Bob and Roberta Smith and a permanent wall painting by Turner prize winner Richard Wright. All of these works were purchased as part of the Contemporary Art Society's Special Collection Scheme (1997-2004). MIMA has recently received the Art Fund International Award for the development of its drawing collection in partnership with The Drawing Center, New York.
The craft collection was inherited from the Cleveland Art Gallery and includes two main strands of practice: 20th-century studio pottery and jewellery designs from the 1960s onwards as well as more recent acquistions from Lawson Oyekan and Granby Workshop.
