The Foundation has a particular interest in the visual arts, reflecting the interest and expertise of its founder, Nicolai Tangen. It seeks to develop close relationships with a limited number of partner institutions, primarily in the UK and Norway.
AKO Foundation support since 2016
AKO Kunststiftelse (AKO Art Foundation) is a Norwegian non-profit foundation whose objective is to advance the public’s access to Nordic visual arts from 1900 onwards. To achieve this, AKO Kunststiftelse has built an important collection of such art (the ‘Tangen Collection’) for public exhibition, now on indefinite loan to the Kunstsilo Museum (see below), which has the right to use the collection free of charge.
AKO Foundation support new in 2025
The Foundation has made a grant to the Booker Prize Foundation to support the creation of a new Booker Prize for children’s literature. The Children’s Booker Prize is designed to recognise outstanding fiction for readers aged 8 to 12, celebrating exceptional contemporary writing published in the UK and Ireland. Through this award, the Booker Prize Foundation aims to elevate the profile of authors and stories that inspire young readers, broaden access to high-quality children’s literature, and strengthen the literary landscape for this age group.
AKO Foundation support since 2018
The Foundation has supported a number of exhibitions at the British Museum in recent years. More recently, it has also agreed to support two other initiatives:
AKO Foundation support since 2019
Camden Arts Centre is a leading contemporary visual arts institution in London, known for presenting ambitious exhibitions by UK and international artists. Alongside its gallery programme, it runs a wide range of learning and engagement activities, including artist-led courses, schools outreach, and community projects designed to make art accessible to people of all ages. The Centre also supports emerging artists through residencies that provide space, resources and mentorship to develop new work.
AKO Foundation support since 2023
Since its opening in 1994, the CLAY Museum of Ceramic Art, located in Middelfart, Denmark, has established a unique collection of Danish and international ceramic art – the only one of its kind in the Nordic region. In collaboration with the Kunstsilo Museum (see Kunstsilo section) and supported by the Foundation, CLAY hosts exhibitions of works by acclaimed artists and ceramicists.
AKO Foundation support since 2014
The Courtauld Institute of Art is an international centre for the study of the history and conservation of art and is also home to one of the finest small art museums in the world. Its Institute of Art, a college of the University of London, is the pre-eminent centre for the study of the history of art in Europe. The Foundation has endowed an academic post for the study of European art of the 20th century, in particular, German Expressionism. The gift was made by the Foundation in honour of the late Dr Shulamith Behr, Honorary Research Fellow at the Courtauld, who taught Nicolai Tangen during his MA studies there. The Foundation has also supported exhibitions at the Courtauld.
AKO Foundation support since 2015
The SKMU Sørlandets Kunstmuseum was a regional art institution, located in Kristiansand, southern Norway, which, since its formation in 1995, collected and displayed high quality modern and contemporary art and crafts objects from the local region.
Now renamed Kunstsilo, the former SKMU took over the running of the Kunstsilo Museum upon the completion and critically acclaimed opening of the latter in 2024. The Kunstsilo Museum is now the primary venue for display of works in the Tangen Collection; it also hosts a broad range of related exhibitions.
AKO Foundation support since 2022
Following the creation of the National Museum (Nasjonalmuseet) and its relocation to a purpose-built building in Oslo, the Foundation commenced its support for the Museum by acting as principal supporter of a temporary exhibition (‘Fitting In and Standing Out’) of works by the British artist Grayson Perry. The Foundation continues to support the Museum and has since funded major exhibitions, including “Becoming Anna-Eva Bergman”, as well as “Else Hagen:Between People”.
AKO Foundation support since 2015
In 2024 the Foundation made a grant to Tate in order to create an acquisition fund for indigenous art – by the Sámi and Inuit peoples – from Northern Europe. This initiative will enable Tate to dramatically transform how these communities of artists are represented within the global platform of Tate’s collection and programme. It will also meaningfully progress Tate’s wider institutional commitment to strengthening its representation of First Nations and Indigenous artists from around the world. In addition to the direct purchase costs, this grant may also be used to cover relevant display and conservation expenses.
The Foundation has also agreed to support the 2025 Hyundai Commission at Tate Modern, by the Norwegian Sámi artist Máret Ánne Sara.
AKO Foundation support since 2013
Wigmore Hall is an internationally renowned chamber music and recital venue, celebreated for its rich programming in song, early music and chamber performance. The Foundation supports a scheme which offers £5 tickets at selected concerts to those under 35 with the aim of making world-class live music more accessible to younger audiences.