Yorkshire Sculpture Park's children's wartime art collection

Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP) is delighted to announce that children’s artwork from its own National Arts Education Archive (NAEA) has been inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.

Marking a major achievement for Yorkshire and the UK, the decision places YSP’s Franz Cižek Collection alongside globally significant documents such as Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and the Diary of Anne Frank.

For more than seven years, YSP has played a leading role in a pan-European initiative to nominate “drawings and writings of children during wartime in Europe: 1914–1950” for the UNESCO Memory of the World Register. This nomination, coordinated through the International Research and Archives Network (IRAND), brings together 17 collections from across Europe, highlighting the voices and creativity of children who lived through the upheavals of the First and Second World Wars.

YSP’s significant contribution to this international project was the Franz Cižek Collection, comprising 101 paintings, wood and lino cuts created by children at Vienna’s pioneering and free Juvenile Art Classes which Professor Cižek organised during holiday times and weekends, between 1915-1922.

This rare collection is on loan to YSP and held in the NAEA, one of the UK’s foremost repositories for arts education materials.

The UNESCO Executive Board has now confirmed the inclusion of this submission in the Memory of the World Register. The decision underlines the importance of children’s perspectives in the documentation of Europe’s wartime history.

The Franz Cižek Collection, first exhibited in London in 1921 by Birmingham art teacher Francesca Wilson, has played a pivotal role in shaping modern approaches to art education, inspiring generations of teachers and students in the UK and beyond. These works offer a unique window into the lives, hopes, and fears of children during some of Europe’s darkest times, serving as a powerful testament to resilience and creativity.

Clare Lilley, director of Yorkshire Sculpture Park, welcomed the news:
“We are deeply honoured that the children’s artwork in our care has been recognised by UNESCO as part of the world’s documentary heritage. This inscription not only celebrates the extraordinary vision of Franz Cižek and the children he taught but also affirms the vital role that Yorkshire Sculpture Park and the NAEA play in preserving and sharing stories that matter. We hope this recognition will inspire even more people from our region and beyond to engage with our collections and reflect on the enduring power of creativity in times of adversity.”

The UNESCO Memory of the World Programme, established in 1992, aims to preserve and provide access to the world’s most significant documentary heritage. The UK has several inscriptions on the International Memory of the World Register, including some of the nation's most iconic documents such as The Domesday Book, The Magna Carta, The Bill of Rights (1689), the Personal Archive of Sir Winston Churchill and most recently added (2024) Charles Darwin Archive.

The inclusion of the NAEA’s collections ensures that the voices and experiences of children from the past will continue to inform and inspire future generations.

For more information about the National Arts Education Archive and the Franz Cižek Collection, visit www.ysp.org.uk or explore the archive online.  The full listing of the UNESCO Memory of the World Register entry can be found on the German UNESCO Commission’s website.