The role of philanthropy in public collections across the UK is explored in this landmark collaboration between the Contemporary Art Society and the Whitechapel Gallery. Drawing on the collections of regional museums, art and social reform, subjective notions of value, and the individual's relationship to collections are debated and explored. Ceramics and Pop Art sit in these pages alongside magic lanterns, demarcating the early origins of cinema, before moving on to an exploration of new technologies. Documenting four unique exhibitions at the Whitechapel Gallery over the course of a year, this publication includes newly commissioned texts exploring the complexity of collecting, exhibiting and curating in England today. With contributions from: Anna Colin, Matthew Darbyshire, Helen Kaplinsky, Helen Rees Leahy, Ingrid Swenson and Gaia Tedone.

This centennial catalogue celebrates the remarkable achievements of the Whitechapel Gallery between 1901-2001. Featuring essays by Jonathan Jones, Jeremy Millar, Guy Brett, Mark Francis, Catherine Lampert, Jon Newman, Juliet Styen, Marco Livingstone, Felicity Lunn, Paul Bonaventura, Rachel Lichtenstein and Alan Dein, Janeen Haythornthwaite and Brandon Taylor. Artists surveyed include Ian McKeever, Tim Head, Alfredo Jaar, Ian Breakwell, Susana Solano, Cathy de Monchaux, Tunga, Boyd Webb, Matthew Higgs and Paul Noble, Zarina Bhimji, Hamish Fulton and John Murphy