Letter: Tate's obligation to modern British art

Sir: The decision by the Tate Gallery to build a new gallery devoted to modern art is to be welcomed ('Tate sets sights on a brave new world', 16 December).

If, however, 20th-century British art is to be represented only by the works of a few masters (such as Moore, Bacon and Hockney), the overseas view that modern British art is parochial will be

reinforced.

Surely, this is an opportunity to emphasise the achievements of, for instance, the Vorticist and St Ives painters, and place them in the international context to which they belong. There should be enough in the museum's collection to allow examples to be shown in both the modern art gallery and in the British collection at the Tate.

Yours sincerely,

F. FARMAR

Fine Art Consultancy

London, SW1

16 December