Legacy of former museum director lives on in new collection

Amgueddfa Cymru has announced a new collection in memory of the former Director General, Colin Ford CBE HonFRPS, who died on Sunday, 21 December 2025, aged 91.

Colin was a curator, historian, museum director and broadcaster, and between 1993 and 1998 he was Director General of Amgueddfa Cymru.

Photography was his passion throughout his professional life, and he played a key role in ensuring that the craft was recognised and respected on the same level as the other arts.

Before his death, Colin had donated a personal collection of his photography books to Amgueddfa Cymru, a lifetime’s work of collecting, which will be known as the Colin Ford Photography Library.

Before joining Amgueddfa Cymru, Colin worked as Deputy Curator at the BFI’s National Film Archive and was the first curator of photography at a UK national museum when he joined the National Portrait Gallery (NPG).

He then became the founding Director of the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television (NMPFT) in Bradford, which is known today as the National Science and Media Museum

The donation came thanks to Amgueddfa Cymru’s commitment to photography, including the aim of creating a photography collection of international standard, and presenting an ongoing program in the gallery.

Thanks to his personal connection to the institution and his appreciation of its commitment to exhibiting photography, Colin felt that Amgueddfa Cymru was a worthy home for his collection.

The collection includes monographs, exhibition catalogues and reference books relating to the history of photography.

The collection includes a variety of subjects from the 19th century to the present day, including items associated with photographers such as Bill Brandt, Angus McBean, Don McCullin, Eve Arnold, Josef Koudelka, Robert Capa, Martine Franck, Felix Man and Phillip Jones Griffiths.

Amgueddfa Cymru’s Senior Curator of Photography, Bronwen Colquhoun, said: “The Colin Ford Photography Library represents decades of collecting by the noted photography specialist.

“We are so grateful to Colin and his family for this important gift, which will transform our current collections of photography books.

“The fund will enable us to build the Library to reflect the practices, trends and scholarship of photography today and in the future.”

In his memory, Colin Ford’s family have established a fund to support Amgueddfa Cymru to continue developing the library for the future. In lieu of flowers, Colin’s family have kindly asked for donations to the fund and appreciate every single contribution.

Colin Ford’s funeral will take place on Monday, January 19, and Cardiff National Museum flags will be at half-mast.