Premier artworks owned by Aberdeen City Council are poised to be loaned out to some of the world’s top galleries.
The John Singer Sargent collection will be loaned to Stockholm’s Nationalmuseum, the Fernand Leger exhibition will be displayed at the Institut Valencia d’Art Modern while the Parabola of Pre-Raphaelitism will travel to three museums in Japan, under the council plans.
If the loans do not go ahead then a report to Tuesday’s city growth committee, written by Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums manager Christine Rew, said that the artworks would likely end up in storage, hidden from the public.
The council will not pay a penny towards the transport and upkeep of the art if the proposed borrowing goes ahead, but will send trained couriers with the works to ensure their protection.
The report also points out that the borrower will have to pay the conservation, framing and glazing costs that the council might not otherwise be able to afford.
Ms Rew’s report states that it expects the loans to raise Aberdeen’s profile as a cultural tourism destination, as well as strengthening the city’s international links.
Aberdeen Art Gallery is currently closed for a £30million refurbishment that has faced substantial delays but the work is expected to be finished next year.
City growth vice convener Gordon Graham said: “The importance of our art collection being shared by others cannot be underestimated as it adds to Aberdeen’s cultural offering.
“Sharing our art collection also provides Aberdeen City Council with the opportunity to speak about our new upgraded £30million Art Gallery which upon opening will be the envy of Scotland.”
Opposition Liberal Democrat culture spokesman Martin Greig said that a proposal to loan art collections to foreign galleries is good for Aberdeen as long as the city “gets something back in return”.
He said: “I respect that the system operates through goodwill and art galleries build up their reputations as a loaning institution.
“However, it’s crucial that we are not just loaning out to places but that we get items that will be of interest to the people of Aberdeen in return when our art gallery eventually reopens.”
