The Cranford Collection was founded in 1999 by Muriel and Freddy Salem, with the support and collaboration of curator Andrew Renton. London had become one of the most vibrant cities for contemporary art. One of the Collection's key initial aims was to build a London-based, international collection that was reflective of the dynamic scene in London as well as of the larger international context of contemporary art. From the start, the Collection sought to support emerging artists. This patronage of a new generation of artists was framed and contextualised with work by some of the more established and defining names of contemporary art since the 1960s. In 2005, Cranford Collection began mounting a series of installations in a domestic context, which are open for viewing by appointment. The hang is rotated approximately every 18 months. This series continues to date and enables the Collection to explore the possibilities of contemporary art outside of the conventional exhibition setting. This environment enables radically different relationships between artworks and artists.
It also offers the unique challenge of how to successfully present uncompromising artwork in a home and demonstrates that the most interesting contemporary artwork can be lived with and experienced in new ways over time. This catalogue accompanies the first exhibition of the Cranford Collection in Spain.