National Collection

The founding mandate of the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas called for two things: to promote Bahamian art and to preserve it. The National Collection serves the latter function. Through rigorous research, collaboration, and the staging of exhibitions, the NAGB is building an archive for future generations—one that charts the evolution of artistic production in The Bahamas alongside the development of the young nation itself.

The National Collection asks: What is Bahamian art? Where does its course begin? Its roots reach back to pre-independence, with early watercolours, drawings, and paintings from the turn of the 20th century revealing the seeds of our later artistic flourishing. Over time—and through a varied range of works including sculpture, textiles, ceramics, photographs, and mixed media—the Collection traces a nation discovering its voice, both artistically and politically, through periods of oppression, social change, independence, and now, the post-colonial era. As Bahamian artists and makers increasingly live and work abroad, and as migration continues to shape the region in new ways, questions of belonging, identity, and authorship remain urgent. Who is the Bahamian artist? The Collection continues to explore this evolving landscape.

To collect is to author, to assert a perspective, and to shape culture, all while building a record of who we are. But the National Collection is not just an archive—it is an evolving tool for education, a catalyst for dialogue, and an investment in the cultural capital of The Bahamas. By sharing the Collection through curated exhibitions, critical essays, artist talks, and digital stories, the NAGB invites everyone to encounter a rich, nuanced country that goes beyond the picturesque. Through active and ongoing historical contextualisation, the NAGB uses art to educate, inspire, and deepen national understanding—affirming that art is to be experienced through varied viewpoints and is a vital part of how a country knows itself.