THEY are the chosen few with the power to reverse sweeping cuts to services across Southampton.

Seven art and culture experts have been placed in charge of the city’s extensive collection, giving them control over the future of the largely unseen works.

The members of the Chipperfield Trust advisory committee have been approved by city leaders.

The move has sparked fresh calls for the group to sell off some of the 3,500-piece collection to preserve the jobs and services culled by civic bosses in the February budget.

But the man in charge of the committee has ruled out flogging any of its masterpieces – and instead approved the donation of more than 200 more pieces of artwork.

As previously reported, campaigners have urged council chiefs to part with some of the artwork to minimise cuts to services across the city.

The newly donated work has yet to be valued but the combined worth of the city’s art collection is estimated at around £150m.

Last month the Labour council rubberstamped savings worth £16m – cutting 234 jobs, tax breaks for pensioners, youth services, children’s centres and libraries.

The cuts also hit the arts with Southampton’s renowned Nuffield Theatre even threatening to close for some for the year because it’s grant was slashed. But calls to fill the city’s financial black hole by selling off the art again look set to fall on deaf ears.

Chairman of the new committee, Stephen Foster, said decisions made by the group of art and culture experts would “carry total sway” on the future of the city’s art collection.

Should any of the committee’s recommendations be rejected by council chiefs the issue would then become the subject of a judicial review, he said.

The committee was initially set up in September 2012 at the request of the Charities Commission to help avoid a conflict of interest.

Before the committee any decisions relating to art would be made by full council, since councillors also serve as trustees of the Chipperfield Trust.

Mr Foster said the panel’s roles are voluntary and will not receive a salary or expenses for their work.

Asked if the committee could decide to sell off part of the council’s extensive art collection to plug the council’s debts and stop cuts Mr Foster said: “absolutely not”.

He said: “The idea that the council can sell off a collection to pay for council services was never an option.

“There’s no possibility of the art work being sold and there is nothing in the pipe line at all. It was never really a goer.

“The collections are not for sale for other purposes. That’s the problem of a conflict of interest.”

And campaigners will be further angered by the advisory committee, after their first act was to approve the donations of two gifts to the Chipperfield Trust.

More than 200 more pieces of artwork have been added to the city council’s collection after the panel “wholly supported”

the gifts from the George and Ann Dannatt Collection of Modern Art and 113 drawings, prints and paintings from brothers Nick and Philip Schlee.

Councillor John Hannides, Conservative leisure spokesman, said art work in the Chipperfield bequest can be sold.

He said nearly £10m could be generated from selling two pieces of work not in the “core collection”.

He said: “The money could be used to support the funding that’s needed for the cultural quarter, in particular the new art complex that’s going to be built on the former Tyrell and Green site.

“The impact this will have on the cultural quarter, Guildhall Square and the art gallery itself will generate a significant amount of extra footfall, which will see the doubling of the number of visitors we currently get in the art gallery.

“The money will mean saving £1 million a year in interest payments the council would be making to borrow money.

“We have every sympathy with people affected and we believe that because of the way we want to use money from the sale of the art to fund the art complex it releases funding that can go to supporting frontline services in the city. It’s a win win.”

Among those facing cuts are some children’s services.

Natasha Moody, whose daughter Keeley Moody-Brisbane, attends the Zoe Braithwaite play centre in Fraser Way, Lordshill, said the artwork should be sold to stop the closure of the children’s centres.

The Zoe Braithwaite play centre was at risk of closure under the council’s budget proposals until it was handed a year’s reprieve.

She said: “I think they should sell the art work.

It is just sitting there when kids of the community could be suffering.

“They are closing youth clubs, too. If you think about the teenagers, what are they going to do?

“A lot of families are going to be affected by this.”

Meet the members of the Chipperfield Trust advisory committee

Stephen Foster (chairman): Stephen Foster has been the director of the John Hansard Gallery at the University of Southampton since 1987 and has a distinguished career in the art sector. He has been chairman of the VAGA (Visual Arts and Galleries Association) on three occasions and is treasurer of the International Association of Curators’ of Contemporary Art.

Liz Goodall (vice chairman): A former director of the Southampton Art Gallery, a position she worked in for more than 17 years during the 1980s and 1990s. Since January 2003, Liz has been the Chief Executive at North Dorset District Council and is also a former policy manager at Southampton City Council.

Daniel Crow: Daniel is a fine art graduate from Southampton Solent University and is the director
and co-founder of Space Arts. He is working on two new work space projects with Southampton Solent University and Eastleigh Borough Council and a new cultural venue at Gods House Tower.

Amy O’Sullivan: A History of Art graduate, she currently works as a development officer at the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth, having held previous positions at Tate Modern and Christie’s. When contacted by the Daily Echo she refused to comment only saying:
“Don’t ever call me at work again.”

Louise Hallett: Managing director of Hallett Independent – a business that offers art insurance
packages to museums, collectors and galleries all over the world. Louise took a works of art
course at Sotheby’s in London and has worked in the art business for 15 years.

Huw Morgan: Huw has produced numerous paintings, drawings and illustrations over his career.
He has studied at the Winchester School of Art, Newport College of Art, Slade School of Fine Art,
and London Institute of Education.

Malcolm Le Bas: Malcolm is a former governor of Southampton Solent University and worked with
solicitors Paris Smith for 46 years. He has been at the helm of project management teams for the development of St Mary’s Stadium and the Ageas Bowl.

The Chipperfield Trust:

THE Chipperfield Trust oversees the collection donated to Southampton by Robert Chipperfield a
century ago.

A local pharmacist, Southampton councillor and magistrate, he laid the foundations for an art
gallery in Southampton in 1911.

In his will, Mr Chipperfield clearly stated his ideas concerning the provision for visual arts in
Southampton where he wrote: “My fervent desire is, and my executors aim shall be, the furtherance and encouragement of art, in the town of my adoption – Southampton.

“I therefore bequeath the whole of my collection of oil paintings, watercolour drawings and engravings to my executors for the public exhibition in Southampton.

“I authorise my executors to build an art gallery which shall be free to the public, as soon as funds will permit, and also establish a Southampton School of Art, which shall be worthy of the name.”

Since Mr Chipperfield laid the foundations, the permanent collection has grown to over 3,500  works of art and the gallery is visited today by around 60,000 visitors per year.

  • Additional reporting by Rory McKeown