Managers at the Whitworth Gallery must be reeling with the injustice of it all this week.
Two years after installing a new security system, they find their venue plastered all over the front pages after a high-profile break-in and theft. The fact that the stolen items ? watercolours by Picasso, van Gogh and Gauguin ? turned up again shortly afterwards after a telephone tip-off must have been a relief, but the issues the incident raises are not likely to promote peaceful sleep.
A note found with the paintings said that the theft had been carried out with noble motives: to expose the ?woeful security? of the gallery. However, it is difficult to imagine the noble motive that led these people to roll up the works of art, stuff them in a cardboard tube and leave them in the open air, subject to tearing and water damage.
Access to art and artists is one of the central tenets of today?s arts managers and politicians. It is ironic that the high profile of visual art, and the huge prices which the work of some artists can command, have drawn unwelcome attention to collections on public show. The balance between security and access is a tricky one to maintain. Rather than dwell on the occasional lapse and its attendant media frenzy, we should silently admire those who guard our visual arts heritage with such dedication, and indeed, such success.
Liz Hill and Brian Whitehead are on holiday.