The EP's collection of art from all over Europe has made the jump to the digital era and can now be appreciated by all in an online gallery. Enjoy!

The News: Click for culture!

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/15816482/n001-120116-001-en_mf.srt

In the 1980s, Margaret Thatcher called  this institution a 'Mickey Mouse Parliament’.

Inside, you’ll find Kristaps Ģelzis’s 'Ticks',

where MEPs, lobbyists, activists and others  mingled in between meetings for years.

It’s all part of the EP’s vast art collection  dating back from 1982

and, until now, kept behind closed doors.

Our gallery is rich.  It’s a real treasure, but a hidden treasure.

Even the MEPs are not aware that we have  so many beautiful paintings and sculptures.

That's why we created our virtual gallery.

Donated by national parliaments  or acquired with the art budget,

the EP’s modern art collection numbers  around 500 pieces from every EU country.

'Warhol 1'  by Slovenian artist Marko Blažo

is one of the works  available for viewing in the virtual gallery.

Pieces acquired before 2009 are not yet  online as their copyright has to be cleared.

I don’t want to show you  which are the most valuable works here

because I don't want to provoke incidents.

Art theft aside, other accidents do happen.

Emmanuel Phaetos is the man  responsible for taking care of the collection.

I inspect them  nearly every week, every day...

For example, restoration. We have  cases of vandalism, we have scratches...

The collection resides in the EP buildings  in Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg.

MEPs can come to select paintings  to decorate their offices.

But sometimes they like to  express their creativity in other ways.