Art sale plans

Plans by Southampton City Council to sell Munnings’s ‘After the Race’ and one of the city’s three Rodin sculptures in order to help finance its new Cultural Quarter have caused disquiet. A council statement says that “any decision will be subject to legal requirements and processes and stringent professional and ethical guidelines”. However, Hilary Gresty, Director of the Visual Arts and Galleries Association, has expressed concern that the sale “could have a fundamental effect on museum collections across the country”, and points out that the Museums Association Code of Ethics requires the detailed exploration of alternative sources of funding and extensive public consultation before a decision to sell is made.