Hiscox
York
Arts Tours
An extraordinary private art collection — Hockney, Moore, Hodgkin and many more — inside one of York's most remarkable buildings. Volunteer-led. Every tour supports York charities.
The Hiscox Building · Peasholme Green · York YO1 7PR
About the tours
An art gallery hiding inside an insurance company
When Hiscox built their York office on Peasholme Green, they commissioned Make Architects—the practice behind London's Gherkin—to transform a forgotten corner of York's medieval heart. The resulting building is a landmark in its own right, featuring a striking curved glass atrium that glows amber at dusk.
Inside, the building houses a portion of the Hiscox Art Collection. Started in 1971 when founder Robert Hiscox purchased an etching for his office in Lloyd's of London, the collection has since grown to over 1,000 pieces.
Visitors can encounter works by some of the most influential artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, most of which are typically held by major national galleries.
Our volunteer-led tours have been running since 2018, opening up this remarkable collection to the people of York — and raising money for a different York charity each year. So far the tours have raised over £39,000!
"Art is an integral part of the culture of Hiscox. We insure it, we own it and we encourage it… Our collection hangs in our offices and we firmly believe that this improves our employees’ morale" — Robert Hiscox, founder
Photo Gallery
Article in Yorkshire Life magazine
The collection
Over 25 artists — local, national and international
Here are six of the works you'll encounter on a tour. The full collection is waiting to be discovered in person.
Born Bradford, 1937
David Hockney
The Arrival of Spring in Woldgate, East Yorkshire
A 52-part work made on an iPad in his seventies — one of Hockney's most significant series. Each print depicts a single day of the changing seasons near Bridlington.
Born Castleford, 1898
Henry Moore
Sheep Sketchbook, 1972
In February 1972 Moore retreated from exhibition preparations and began drawing the sheep outside his window. What started as a distraction became one of his finest late works — full of the mother-and-child associations that run through all his sculpture.
Born London, 1932
Howard Hodgkin
Into the Woods, Summer, 2002
One of the great British colourists of the postwar era and 1985 Turner Prize winner, Hodgkin was known for abstract works rooted in memory — encounters, places, relationships. This lift-ground etching captures that expressiveness in print form.
Born York, 1964
Harland Miller
York So Good They Named It Once
A York-born artist best known for his sardonic Penguin paperback canvases. This print plays on the city's single, confident name.
Born London, 1967
Gavin Turk
Faces — seven screenprints with diamond dust
One of the original Young British Artists and one of the great provocateurs of contemporary British art. His Faces series recasts his own face as Elvis, Joseph Beuys and Che Guevara — a sustained meditation on celebrity, imitation and what it means to be an artist.
Born Dresden, 1932
Gerhard Richter
Prints with HENI Productions, 2014
One of the defining painters of the 20th century. Richter's career began under political censure in East Germany; his photo-based paintings and later abstracts redefined what painting could be.
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