Okuzeka
Art & Art History vocabulary · Museums & Galleries

Permanent collection

Meaning in art & art history, with examples

nounCommon term

In art & art history, permanent collection means: The artworks and objects that a museum owns and keeps long term, as opposed to works borrowed for temporary exhibitions.

In Turkish: kalıcı koleksiyon, daimi koleksiyon

How it is used

Museums build, display and add to their permanent collection, but usually only a small part is on show at any time. A ticket may cover only the permanent collection, with an extra charge for temporary exhibitions.

Example sentences

  1. Entry to the permanent collection is free, but the special exhibition costs 15 euros.

  2. Osman Hamdi Bey's The Tortoise Trainer is one of the best-known works in the Pera Museum's permanent collection.

Common collocations

  • add to the permanent collection
  • permanent collection galleries
  • rehang the permanent collection
  • highlights of the permanent collection
  • exhibitionA public show of artworks or objects, arranged in a museum, gallery or other space, either for a limited time or permanently.
  • curatorA person who chooses and arranges artworks for exhibitions, or who looks after and researches a museum's collection.
  • on displayBeing shown in a museum, gallery or shop, where people can see it.
  • loanAn arrangement in which a museum or collector lends an artwork to another institution for a period, usually for an exhibition; also the work that is lent.

More terms: Museums & Galleries

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: