STAFF at Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum are celebrating after scooping a share of funding to buy new art – and being shortlisted for a prestigious national prize.

The museum in Beaumont Street reopened at the end of last year following a £61m refurbishment.

It is one of five museums to win a share of £75,000 to buy a selected object, thanks to the initiative Art Fund Collect.

News of the funding boost came shortly after it was announced that the attraction was on the shortlist for the prestigious £100,000 Art Fund Prize.

Ashmolean director Dr Christopher Brown said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been shortlisted for the Art Fund Prize – this is a very exciting stage of the competition and it is a great honour for the Ashmolean to be selected.

“We are extremely grateful to all of our supporters who have voted for the museum so far.

“At the heart of the Ashmolean’s redevelopment has been the ambition to transform the museum to meet the needs of the 21st century public.

“We will continue to open our doors to the widest possible audience to ensure their inspiration, enjoyment and access to the Ashmolean’s remarkable collections now and in the future.

“We are also delighted to have won a share of Art Fund Collect.”

Timothy Wilson, keeper of art at the museum, used the £28,500 from Art Fund Collect to buy Calm Contortion Wine Cooler by Ndidi Ekubia.

Mr Wilson added: “Since the Ashmolean opened its new galleries to the public last year, contemporary silver and ceramics have a far greater display role than ever before.

“I’m thrilled that this beautiful silver vessel by Ndidi Ekubia will go on public display for all to admire.”

Stephen Deuchar, director of the Art Fund, added: “It’s a delight to see five winning curators walking away from Art Fund Collect with an extraordinary new object for their collections.”

Shortlisted curators had an hour to pick an object for their museum or gallery at an international art fair last week at London’s Saatchi Gallery.

The Ashmolean reopened in November with 39 new galleries and double the exhibition space it previously had.

The renovation scheme replaced the entire Ashmolean building, with the exception of the Grade I-listed Victorian building fronting on to Beaumont Street, which dates back to 1845.

In the five months after reopening, the museum welcomed 400,000 visitors – more than attended in an entire year before the redevelopment, and curators expect at least one million people to visit in the first year.

affrench@oxfordmail.co.uk

Winning the Art Fund Prize carries with it the accolade of Museum of the Year. You can vote at artfund.org