The British Art Show (BAS) is a major survey exhibition organised every five years to showcase contemporary British Art. Each time it is organised, the show tours to four UK cities. It has become so large that it usually requires a number of venues in each city to accommodate it. As a snapshot of contemporary British Art, the exhibition has some equivalence to the biennial exhibitions of the Whitney Museum of American Art. The 1990 show caused controversy as it did not include any Scottish artists, even though it opened in Glasgow as part of the city's European Capital of Culture programme.