MP's Criticise Hertfordshire County Councils Large Artwork Sale

An auction took place earlier in the year.

Hertfordshire County Council made the decision to sell of part of its collection in 2007.

A set of auctions took place earlier this year and a total of 450 pieces were sold off.

It saw the works sell for £469,282 but the move has been criticised by a group of MP's.

A parliamentary group focusing on art has said that the decision was wrong  as it took the works away from those they were originally "intended for".

John Tunnard's Brandis painting sold for £37,000

The collection began in 1949 as part of a School Loan Collection, a scheme which let schools borrow art to give pupils access to contemporary works. 

However, now the works have been sol the cross-party parliamentary group are conscious of the effects it will have. 

The Local Democracy Reporting service said it is a "worrying precedent for other local authority collections".

Edward Wadsworth's Composition On A Blue Groun II 1933 sold for £19,000

In a letter Gavin Williamson, Secretary of State for Education, said the group "firmly believe that all children and young people should have as much access to arts as possible and that this decision will have far-reaching consequences for many years to come".

The council have responded to the letter though, stressing that the decision to sell the items was only made after a consultation had taken place. 

A council spokesman believes this issue could have been resolved without the letter if the MP's had contacted the council and given them a chance to fully explain the process. 

Around 200 pieces from the Council's corporate and school loan collection have been retained, with the rest either being sold or given away.

 

 

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