[MSN] Council is rebuked over lost art

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Council is rebuked over lost art
The Arts Council of Northern Ireland has been criticised for deficiencies and shortcomings in how it manages its £2.7m art collection.

The Audit Office said there was a history of art works being lost from the council's 1,200 collection.

It said the council did not always know what piece was in its collection or out on loan. Currently, more than 50 paintings are missing.

The report rebuked "poor record-keeping and management" of the collection.

The Arts Council is the leading development agency for the arts in Northern Ireland.

Auditor general John Dowdall said there was "a history of poor controls and record management which has resulted in the loss of a number of works from the council's collection".

The Audit Office revealed that the council had previously written off works by artists such as TP Flanagan and Neil Shawcross.

The report said that following the write-off of 96 missing works of art in 1990/91, the council should have reviewed its control systems.

	The council is still not in a position to know whether there are further losses and write-offs
Audit Office report

However, it said the issue was "not fully addressed" given the identification of additional works and write-offs in 1999, and the identification of almost 300 works in September 2005.

The report said that in May this year, the council identified a further 52 works, worth at least £28,000, that it could not locate and may need to be written off.

The Arts Council was responsible for a now-closed Partnership Purchasing Scheme (PPS) where it assisted others to purchase works of art.

The report highlighted uncertainty about a number of works acquired through the scheme.

It also identified what it called "significant shortcomings" in the management of the PPS scheme.

The report showed that despite a decision made in October 2000 to "gift" its collection to local museums and galleries, the council had still to complete the transfer.

It expressed concern about patronage and favouritism after discovering that approximately one in seven works of art - 47 in all - acquired through PPS were by artists employed by the council, two of whom held senior posts.

Further investigation revealed that 53 works in the council's main collection had also been produced by council employees.

However, the council said 23 of the 53 works had been purchased before the artist's employment with it began.

The Audit Office said it was assured there were proper procedures in place to ensure there was no patronage or favouritism.

The report concluded that the council was now taking steps to ensure that, in future, up-to-date accurate inventories were maintained.

The Audit Office was told in May 2006 that the council had completed its records and had identified 52 works which require further follow-up.

It said that the council "cannot make a definitive statement at this point on whether there are further losses to write off".

The report concluded: "We are concerned that some six years after a major review of the collection, four years since the appointment of a curator and three years since the department asked for the identification, reconciliation and valuation of the works, the council is still not in a position to know whether there are further losses and write-offs."

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