Plans to launch a museum in London that would display paintings drawn from UK regional collections have met with a mixed response from curators and directors.
The British Isles Gallery, which is to be based in Covent Garden in a building formerly occupied by the Victoria and Albert’s Theatre Museum, is the brainchild of Fred Hohler.
Hohler, who founded the Public Catalogue Foundation, reportedly plans to host three or four major shows annually, with most of the works loaned from regional public collections. For each exhibition, he hopes to secure corporate sponsors with links to the particular region, possibly in tourism.
Jonathan Wallis, assistant head of museums in Derby, said: “We have lots of things which are worthy of display that do not get to see the light of day very often.
“The British Isles Gallery could work, but it would need correct financing and to be extremely well organised.”
But he pointed out that “conservation costs, packing, transport and couriers expenses are normally paid by the loan institution”, emphasising that “corporate sponsorship is often very difficult to obtain for regional museums.”
Wallis added: “My worry is that this museum may take some of the regional sponsorship from us.” Hohler declined to comment.
David Fleming, director of National Museums Liverpool, agreed that the new museum could jeopardise sponsorship deals. “If there are companies in the north-west that want to sponsor museums, I’d rather they sponsored something happening in the north-west,” he said.
“Our policy is to prioritise loans to museums that operate in areas of high social deprivation. Those don’t include Covent Garden.”
John Roles, head of Leeds Museums and Galleries, said: “A London space that highlights the quality available in the regions sounds like a good idea, but I’m not sure there’s much coherence to the theme.
“We need to raise the profile of regional collections in the regions themselves, as all too often there is an assumption among key local and regional stakeholders that you have to go to London to see anything worthwhile.”
Revenue for the British Isles Gallery would be generated from a retail outlet and cafe, while a charitable trust would run the institution.
Discussions are ongoing with the building’s owner, Covent Garden London, over the gallery lease terms. Meanwhile, a planning application for the new venue, which is set to open in 2011, has to be approved by Westminster City Council.