Hertfordshire County Council proposes to sell 91% of its public Art Collection, which comprises of 1,826 works of art that are mostly in storage.
The public can have their say on the council's art collection consultation until the end of April.
The council's plan is to reduce the collection to 167 works that are "highly significant to the history of Hertfordshire." The rest will be sold and the money raised will be put towards the conservation of those that have been kept. The council have announced which paintings are set to be sold, in order to invite feedback throughout March and April from the public regarding their importance.
(Painter on the Hill, by Leo McDowell 1992 - property of Herts County Council)
The collection began in 1949 as part of Hertfordshire Schools Art Loan Collection, which aimed to inspire children across the county by giving them access to original works of art. The collection now includes paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture, ceramics and textiles, by highly regarded local and national artists.
A spokesperson for the council stated that today's "modern technology and the interactive approach of local and national galleries and museums has made this service redundant." Instead of being beneficial and used by the public, many works are in storage and need conservation work.
The campaign against the proposals said, "if these plans go ahead, a significant body of art, most of it bought with public funds and including many works by celebrated modern British artists, will disappear into private hands and be lost to the public forever." The petition against the sale of the public artwork has over 1,200 signatures.
(The Road to Thaxted by Edward Bawden, 1956 - part of the council's miscellaneous collection)
In response, Hertfordshire Council said: "We want to dispose of these artworks to ensure that they can be looked after in the future and we can focus on maintaining and improving public access to a smaller Hertfordshire significant collection... If sufficient signatures are obtained, the petition will be considered by the appropriate council panel."
What do you think?
You can read the council's proposals here, where you can also view the artwork to be put on sale. Or, you can visit the 'Save Hertfordshire's Art' petition by clicking here.
(Photos of paintings sourced from hertfordshire.gov.uk)
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