Enjoy European Parliament art collection online

Everyone needs a break from politics sometimes. Why not take a short cultural break and dive into the artistic wealth of the European Parliament's art collection? Take a look at some of the work of talented young Europeans gathered by the Parliament over 30 years. Savour the moment when art, politics and technology meet.

The start of the collection dates back to 1980 and by the end of 2011 it comprises around 500 paintings, sculptures and other works of modern art from all 27 EU members.

Until now you could enjoy them only if you visited one of the EP's three places of work in Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg. But in 2009, Lidia Geringer de Oedenberg, the MEP responsible for cultural and artistic events in the EP, initiated the establishment of an online gallery so that everyone could appreciate the collection.

Most recent acquisitions on show first

"The promotion of this collection offers us the opportunity to build an image of Parliament as an institution with a human face, engaged in European culture and the promotion of young artists," she said.

To begin with you can view the most recent acquisitions from Malta, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria and Romania, art acquired early will be added later. "Works of art purchased since 2009 have already been made available on the online art gallery. Further works will become available once copyrights have been settled," Geringer de Oedenberg explained.