David Hockney opposes National Media Museum archive transfer

Bradford-born artist David Hockney is one of 83 people to sign a letter opposing the planned transfer

Artist David Hockney has described plans to transfer up to 400,000 objects from Bradford's National Media Museum (NMM) to London as a "backward step".

He is one of 83 people, including director Mike Leigh and photographer Don McCullin, to oppose the move in a letter published in the Guardian.

They say photography "needs a national home and a national identity".

The Science Museum Group (SMG), which runs the NMM, say the move is part of a "change of focus" for the museum.

In the letter, Bradford-born artist Hockney and his co-signatories say the "sudden and largely secret decision" to transfer the archive is "a backward step in our understanding of the importance of visual culture".

It says: "Moving most of the museum's photography collection away from Yorkshire goes against government policy when the museum was opened - to put such facilities outside London.

"Many of us who have been involved in the founding and development of the museum would welcome the opportunity to be involved in trying to solve whatever problems are being encountered in retaining the collection in a national home for photography - preferably in the north of England."

The National Media Museum in Bradford is run by the Science Museum Group

The SMG announced plans to relocate the archive to the Victoria & Albert museum in February. The collection includes 270,000 images, 26,000 books and periodicals and 6,000 pieces of camera equipment.

It said the move will help create "the world's foremost single collection" on the art of photography and help the media museum focus on science and technology.

On Friday, it also revealed plans to change the museum's name in 2017, though it has not revealed the new name.

Dame Mary Archer, chairwoman of the Science Museum Group, said the aim is to "improve the museum, put it on a sound footing, and to shift its emphasis towards inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers, while still celebrating the city's key role in film, photography and television".