Southampton City Council Proposes to Sell Works from City Art Gallery to Fund 'Sea City' Heritage Centre

VAGA is concerned by proposals to sell work from Southampton City Art Gallery   in order to plug £5million shortfall  for 'Sea City' Heritage Centre.  As a test case for cash strapped councils using one part of their collections to support another .... the outcome of which could have  a fundamental effect on museum collections across the country.

The City Council has identified the works that are being considered for sale - After the Race, Alfred J. Munning (oil on canvas) and either Eve or Crouching Woman by Auguste Rodin (bronze),

see Johnathan Jones Guardian blog

Background

On Wednesday 15 July the political leadership of Southampton City Council confirmed their determination to sell works from the collection to help meet the capital shortfall of £5 million for  a ‘Sea City’ heritage centre. 

In response to an opposition motion stating that: “This Council believes that the proposal to sell art works from the civic collection is a betrayal of public trust, damaging to the reputation of our museums, and should not be implemented.”

Cllr Alec Samuels, Leader of the Council, said, “If we don’t sell some paintings, we don’t get a heritage centre. We’ve made our choice.”  He went on to say,  “No picture will be sold if it’s unlawful to do so, and if it were to be sold, it would go to an appropriate good home.”  See also letter in Southampton press.

Councillors at the meeting  highlighted the moral and ethical issues involved. The Museums Association Code of Ethics states  that it is morally wrong to sell works in a public collection purely for financial gain. Bury Metropolitan Borough Council’s misguided sale of a Lowry has  since led to them being been barred from the Museums Association for misconduct on ethical grounds.

Ultimately the collection at Southampton City Art Gallery belongs to the people of the city and the council acts as custodian and trustee.

The City Council is making  the argument  that all the collections in the city (art, archaeology, maritime and local) come under a single owner and  therefore funds accrued from  one can be moved between them. This contradicts the spirit of the MA Code of Ethics in that accreditation by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council depends on a single museum demonstrating its professional and moral competence.

The Museums Association Code of Ethics has been rewritten recently in the light of the will to encourage widespread use of collections  and now accommodates a more liberal approach to de-accessioning.  Article 6.14 reiterates that disposal should never meet a budget deficit but it does allow ‘financially-motivated disposal only in exceptional circumstances and when it can be demonstrated that disposal will significantly improve the long-term public benefit derived from the remaining collection.'

Southampton City Council tell us that there will be huge benefits to the City Art Gallery if a new Heritage Centre is built,  but they have not quantified these benefits. The public benefit argument is easily made - though a number of local people have questioned the need for a Sea City museum or Heritage Centre that highlights the sinking of the Titanic - but no evidence for this has been presented.     

The Code also asks that all alternative sources of funding be thoroughly explored before the last resort of disposal is carried out.   In the Council debate on the 15 July Cllr Marsh-Jenks, an opposition member, pointed to a sizeable underspend, running into £millions, in the current  capital out-turn budget.  The Heritage Lottery Fund and the Arts Council of England are heavily involved in other high level projects in Southampton at the moment; should they not be asking searching questions of the Council?

The Code specifies that extensive consultation should take place with the public and with sector bodies prior to de-accessioning. The only notification sent from the Council before the 15 July meeting is a letter dated 8 June from the Head of Leisure and Culture to the members of Southampton Heritage and Arts People (SHAPe).  SHAPe, an organisation of some 300 members, was set up to further the cultural and creative interests of the city.   Should it not have been asked what it thought of the action, not sent a statement of intent?  And is 300 an adequate number for proper consultation?  In no way can this letter be considered a consultation document.  

The letter states that the City is working: ‘with a range of experts, in particular the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, to gain a better understanding of how our collections can work best for the arts and heritage service in the future.’ And, that it is: ‘following clear professional standards to establish priorities and determine whether a few items in the art collection could be disposed of legally and in accordance with nationally-recognised ethical guidelines. We will work closely with partners to fully realise the value of any such items. Any monies raised will be reinvested in the new heritage museum for the city and provide clear benefit to the art gallery and collections.’

In the same letter the Director of the MLA, Roy Clare, was quoted as endorsing the City Council’s actions:

“Southampton has embarked on an exciting vision that promises to benefit local people and visitors alike. The city has a rich story to tell and we welcome the conscientious, methodical and imaginative way in which the historic collections are being considered as the core of the narrative. The MLA sees audiences as the primary focus: people are the producers, not merely the consumers. We are pleased to have been approached by the city for advice and guidance on the professional and ethical processes involved in assessing and prioritising the collections. We will work closely with the city and with other experts in this field to help bring about an outcome for the people of Southampton that strikes an appropriate balance between maintaining the collections and enabling people of all ages and backgrounds to engage with the stories that historic objects can tell.”

The Museums Assoociation is waiting to assess the situation once it is known which works are proposed for sale, to quote Maurice Davies  "So far we haven't assessed the Southampton proposals against the criteria in the Code of Ethics, because we don't yet have full details. Once Southampton has explained to us how they believe their proposal meets the criteria we will take a view. In the meantime we are advising Southampton on how we think the criteria should be interpreted."

Over many years Southampton City Art Gallery has, besides having one of the finest collections in the country, and a series of inspired curators, led the city in all the areas to which Roy Clare refers, specifically audience development and education for which it is internationally renowned. It has also imaginatively programmed historic, modern and contemporary strands together to exhibit the richness of the whole collection. There has been no indication from the Council as to how the revenue demands of a new heritage centre will impact on this work and the future funding of the collection.

The moral and ethical issues raised are now open to interpretation by cash strapped councils and Southampton would seem to be a test case.

To express your concern write to:

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For the history of Southampton City Art Gallery see:   Pintura Britanica Moderna, Catalogue of the exhibition. At Museo de Belles Artes, Bilbao 29 September to 7 December 1997. Especially essays by Stephen Snoddy and Brandon Taylor.

Since publication of this article this letter has been written to the members of SHAPE to fully explain the thinking behind the proposals......