Holyrood art to cost taxpayer £250,000

THE spiralling cost of the new Scottish parliament at Holyrood came under fresh attack yesterday – as a £250,000 fund to commission works of art was launched.

Tapestries, paintings, sculpture and glass works are among the works proposed for display in the public areas of the building to mark its opening, scheduled for 2003.

But the Tories said the project, to be managed by Art in Partnership, Holyrood’s new public art consultancy, was a waste of money.

The current cost of the Holyrood project stands at about 280 million, but insiders have speculated that this figure could rise to more than 300 million when building and landscaping work is finally completed.

A new dedicated Art Group of MSPs has also been appointed to decide how the cash should be spent and to approve loans and sponsorship.

It is thought that hidden art treasures, particularly classic works of art, stored in the vaults of Scotland’s National Galleries will be brought out to go on display in the new Holyrood parliament. Among the works languishing in the store rooms are scores of historical paintings by Ramsay, McTaggart and Raeburn.

The National Galleries, which cannot display a great number of its works because of a lack of display space, has said it would be willing to help out with temporary loans. However, it has warned that the parliament should not rely on borrowing old masterpieces but should concentrate more on commissioning new works to reflect the 21st century.

Other plans include commissioning works from promising Scottish artists and incorporating gifts from items gifted by other countries.

The Art Group members – Mike Russell (SNP), Kenneth Macintosh (Lab) and Jamie Stone (Lib Dem) – will be able to draw on external expertise.

The funding, approved by the parliament’s corporate body, is part of the first phase of the three- to five-year art programme for the new building. There is already cash within the building budget for using artists to develop the reception desk, gates and railings, and other pieces of furniture.

Mr Russell, the South of Scotland MSP, said: “Within what are rightly very tight financial constraints for this project, I am confident that we can attract significant sponsorship.

“We hope to mine the huge goodwill towards the arts in Scotland in order to make the new building a celebration of Scottish culture and Scottish craftsmanship.”

But Brian Monteith, the Tory culture spokesman, said: “This is a waste of a quarter of a million pounds of public money.

“Our art galleries are full of treasures gathering dust in the vaults. New artists would gladly offer their works if they could be shown for free.

The MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife region went on: “In people like [the National Gallery chief] Timothy Clifford and Bridget McConnell [the First Minister’s wife and the arts chief for Glasgow City Council], we have talented people who, I’m sure, would advise for free.”

The parliament has been dogged by controversy from the start when the old Royal High School site by Calton Hill was rejected in favour of a brownfield site at Holyrood.

Spiralling costs, the resignation of the project director, Alan Ezzi, and the death of the architect, Enric Miralles, have all added to the furore.