Almost all Harrogate Council-owned artwork in storage, figures show

Just over 1% of the 2,658 artworks owned by the council are currently on display to the public

Just over 1% of the 2,658 artworks owned by a North Yorkshire council are currently on display to the public, figures show.

A Freedom of Information request to Harrogate Borough Council found that just 37 artworks were on display at the authority's galleries and museums.

The authority said it regularly rotated artworks and also lent pieces to exhibitions across the country.

There was a "finite capacity" to exhibit more, a spokesperson said.

The council, which owns the Mercer Art Gallery and the Royal Pump Room Museum in Harrogate, as well as Knaresborough Castle and Museum, refused to publish the total value of the collection, saying that doing so could attract thieves, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

However in 2019, it valued its 2,642 artworks at a combined £6.7m.

'Vast array of art'

In a statement, a spokesperson said: "Harrogate Borough Council's collection of artworks includes thousands of different items.

"We are very fortunate to have inherited items from people or organisations who have kindly donated to us, so that residents and visitors have the opportunity to see a vast array of art from different periods and movements.

"Due to the nature of our museum venues in Harrogate, and understandably, there is finite capacity to exhibit these valuable pieces and we also want to ensure that when someone visits an exhibition they are encapsulated by the theme or narrative."

Therefore, what is on display at any one time varies, they added.

The authority's collection includes works by abstract artist John Hoyland, along with much older works, including a portrait of Sir Francis Slingsby from the 1590s.

The council said a further 70 artworks were scheduled to be put on public display later this month.

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