Hertfordshire schools: 600 artworks donated by council

Sixty schools are to benefit from hundreds of artworks, donated by a county council which is having a clear-out of its collection.

Hertfordshire schools have been able to apply for 614 pieces of art from the county's former School Loan Collection, a service which stopped in 2017.

The authority wanted to get rid of 90% of its 1,828 works, with the majority gifted to schools and other groups.

Two auctions of more than 450 pieces in the spring earned the council £469,282.

That money will be used to conserve the remaining "small manageable collection" of notable or local important works it is keeping, the council said.

Hertfordshire County Council began to acquire the paintings in 1949 as part of the School Loan Collection - an initiative where schools could borrow art to give pupils access to contemporary works.

When the service was cut - due to a risk of deterioration and a lack of resources to manage the collection properly - the collection was valued at £26.2m.

Several schools plan to create mini galleries and the council has ensured each school has at least one of the works it requested.

Woolenwick Infant School, Stevenage, has been given the most artworks and the most requested piece - an etching by Price and McNab called The Ark, which ties in with a book they are using for an art and story trail this term.

It has been gifted 80 works in total and is working with other partners to share them with other schools.

Conservative councillor Terry Douris said: "These donations will ensure Hertfordshire County Council's art legacy can be used for the purpose they were always intended for - to enhance the education of pupils rather than being kept in storage in an anonymous warehouse."