Doreen's doing sterling stuff in Kent to save the council's 'family silver'

A 17th Century painting of 'Judith with the head of Holofernes' by Gerad Seqhers has for many years adorned the yellow painted walls of Tenterden's local town hall - until now.
In these days of cuts and cash crises local councillors have decided to 'flog it' along with another painting to raise dosh for a new heating system. There is a lot of coverage about how the vital public services are affected by budget cuts but the arts are often the first to feel the squeeze.
The proposed sale of the two paintings expected to yield £32,000 for the council's coffers has instead raised the temperature of local community. Leading the campaign against the sale is RCA Society member and local resident, Doreen Wilcockson. She has argued the case from both an artistic and aesthetic view point as well as pointing out the practical - that public ownership of cultural assets brings greater returns in the long run. Aside from aesthetics this issue has opened up questions on the legality of such sales and the rights of elected councillors pitted against the public's right in decision making concerning the disposal of bequeathed gifts to public bodies. Doreen's efforts have not only attracted lots of local interest but also extremes of comment from eminent experts such as art critic Brian Sewell - who says sell the junk - and Art Fund Director Stephen Deuchar who argues against the short term 'cash in the attic' approach by arguing "If you get into a culture of selling art to fill potholes, it's difficult to recover from that position.'
http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kentonline/news/2011/march/10/council_forced...