First established in 1961, The Picture Library at Leeds, was a product of modernising post-war Britain that saw radical changes to all aspects of society. Both public libraries and galleries did not go untouched by these changes and were forced to move away from their nineteenth century rootsin order toremain relevant to modern day life. For Robert Rowe (1917-2005), then Director of Leeds City Art Galleries and the leading force behind the creation of the Leeds scheme, The Picture Library was a means of growing audiences and encouraging an active interest in the fine arts. To this end Rowe wanted to make the borrowing of original works of art, for home enjoyment, as every day and normal as borrowing books or gramophone records.

With a temporary pause in 2009 to fundraise for artwork conservation, a rebrand and relaunch, today The Picture Library collection is ever growing. 50% of our members have been with us for over 3 years, and have been able to borrow over 12 artworks each from the collection.

More than 500 works of art from our collection are currently in homes, offices and community centres across Yorkshire. We collaborate with many organisations to foster an active interest in the visual arts, improve wellbeing in hospitals and inspire learning in classrooms.

We are generously supported by Arts Council England who help cover some of our costs. The rest comes from people like you. Your membership fees and donations help fund our ongoing program supporting young and emerging artists.

Starting your membership couldn’t be easier.

Select your applicable membership below and fill out the form to sign up. Then attend our next Selection Weekend event - with proof of identification (i.e. passport or driving licence) and proof of address - activate your membership and select your first artwork. Then all you need to do is find a place to hang it!

Relevant Terms and Conditions can be found on the Membership Form pages below.

Selection Weekends happen every 3 months at Leeds Art Gallery, and offer 4 open days to select new artwork to exchange.

Artwork currently not on loan will be available to exchange and over the course of the weekend we're constantly adding returned artworks back on display to go to a new home.

Find upcoming events