Two masterpieces might one day be transferred for permanent exhibition at Hospitalfield House.
Painted by Peter Brueghel the younger, they were gifted to Arbroath in the 1800s and have hung in the town’s library for many years,
The move was revealed to members of Arbroath Rotary Club by Hospitalfield director, Lucy Byatt, who was speaking at the club’s weekly meeting.
Referring to a memorandum of understanding with Angus Council to support various priorities from education to arts development Ms Byatt said the paintings could move to Hospitalfield in the longer term on condition that a purpose-built gallery is completed to display them.
The gallery would be part of an exciting and ambitious multi-million pound vision for the future of the arts centre at Hospitalfield House.
Ms Byatt described The Future Plan For Hospitalfield, which aims to care for its heritage, make the centre more accessible to both artists and the public, create a great and inspiring place for artists to work and make the centre financially sustainable.
In the project, for which £1.5 million was raised within the first year of fundraising, plans include restoring the fernery, creating a cafe overlooking the walled garden, renovating studios behind the main house, building a new sedum-roofed residential space for visiting artists and creating another space to open up the centre’s archives, which would be accessed by a newly- created public entrance.
Ms Byatt said former owner Patrick Allan Fraser made it very clear that he wanted Hospitalfield House to be developed as a residential art school after his death.
Until now, that had only been possible through land sales.
Ms Byatt was thanked for her talk by Maurice Napier and president-elect David Miller, who was in the chair.