Bath & North East Somerset Council is calling on people to
support the Victoria Art Gallery by voting for a painting in its
collection.
Voting is now underway in one of the UK's biggest ever
interactive events for the visual arts – the search for ‘The
Greatest Painting in Britain.’
Over the next six weeks the public is voting for their favourite
paintings. You can vote for any painting held in Britain -
old or new, British or foreign, Titian, Constable, Frida Kahlo or
Beryl Cook: if it’s your favourite – you can vote for it, as long
as it is kept in the UK.
The result will be announced on September 5, live on the Radio 4
Today programme (92-95 FM / 198 LW) in a broadcast from the
National Gallery, London.
The Council’s Victoria Art Gallery - which displays the
public art collection for the Bath & North East Somerset area -
is one of dozens of galleries across the country getting
involved. Bath & North East Somerset Council is hoping
that a picture from the gallery’s collection is named ‘The Greatest
Painting in Britain.’
The Gallery’s most popular paintings are:
1 The
Watersplash by Henry Herbert la Thangue, (1859 – 1929) RA,
NEAC, oil on canvas
2 Pilu,
a Performing Dog by John Charlton (1849 – 1917) RBA, ROI, RP
oil on canvas
3 The
Bride of Death by Thomas Jones Barker (1813 – 1882) oil
on canvas
4 The
West Front of Bath Abbey by J M W Turner, (1775 – 1851)
watercolour
5 The
Truant in Hiding by John Callcott Horsley (1817 – 1903)
RA oil on canvas
This popularity is based on postcard sales, polls of
Gallery visitors and regular visitors’ comments.
But the Council needs your support to get everybody in Bath
& North East Somerset voting.
How does the poll work?
The First Round - Until August 8, the public are able to
vote for any painting in Britain. If it is a painting, and it is in
a UK collection (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland),
you can vote for it.
All voting will be done via the Today programme website at
www.bbc.co.uk/today. You
can also record comments and opinions about the paintings, as well
as casting your vote.
To create a lively national debate, a panel of celebrity
advocates will be discussing their favourite paintings on the Today
programme. These will include Alexander McQueen, Boris Johnson, Sir
Paul Smith, Grayson Perry, Marcus Harvey and John Virtue.
Dedicated web pages on www.bbc.co.uk/today and www.nationalgallery.org.uk
will help stimulate a debate about what your favourite painting
might be.
The Shortlist - From 15 August, voting moves to a
shortlist of the Top 10 paintings – as voted for by the public.
Voting will again be via www.bbc.co.uk/today.
The Today programme will host three weeks of debate around the
shortlisted paintings.
The Final – 5 September at the National Gallery. Today
presenter, James Naughtie, and National Gallery Director, Charles
Saumarez Smith, will reveal to the nation live on Radio 4, exactly
which the British public think is 'The Greatest Painting in
Britain.'
Images:
