AN ONLINE art gallery dedicated to publicly owned sculpture is to help art lovers travel the UK from the comfort of their computers.
The digital showcase will be the first of its kind in the world and is backed by cash from the Scottish Government, Arts Council England and the National Lottery.
It follows another world first, which saw more than 200,000 publicly-owned oil paintings from 3000 UK collections brought together into a single “gallery”.
Art UK, which undertook that project, will also handle this one and says the pieces will reflect the diversity of Britain’s national sculpture collection, which includes pieces from “almost every country and era”, from 12th century Nigeria to Tokugawa-period Japan and 1960s New York.
However, the charity says few of the items have been photographed, many have not been properly catalogued and some are at risk of decay or falling off the radar.
As part of the project, Art UK will open an office in Glasgow with the aim of bringing the organisation and its work closer to Scottish collections and audiences.
Director Andrew Ellis said: “This project has been four years in the planning. The result will be an astonishing digital showcase for the national collection of sculpture in all its rich and varied glory.
“All of us at Art UK are deeply grateful to the Heritage Lottery Fund and all the other donors who have made this huge undertaking possible.”
The first items covered will appear on the artuk.org website early next year, but the scheme is expected to take three years to complete.
Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “The Scottish Government is committed to increasing opportunities for everyone in Scotland to access and engage in cultural activity so I’m pleased to support Art UK’s project. I also welcome Art UK’s intention to open a Glasgow office and work more closely with Scottish collections.”
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