LETTER : State of the art at the Hayward

Tim Hilton questions the Hayward Gallery's commitment to contemporary British art, and makes several rather baffling assertions ("Down by the river", Review, 28 April).

This year's programme alone demonstrates a healthy involvement between the Hayward and a number of artists working in this country. Those exhibitions that feature exclusively British work include Spellbound: Art and Film; Acel: Arts Council Collection New Purchases; the first London showing of Antony Gormley's Field for the British Isles; and a major Howard Hodgkin show.

As part of our national touring exhibition (NTE) programme, The British Art Show 4 (with 100 works by 26 British artists) has already travelled to Manchester and Edinburgh, and is about to go on show in galleries across Cardiff.

Meanwhile, our advisory panels for the Hayward, NTE and Arts Council Collection play a vital role in the life of the gallery. Members include Richard Burdett, director of the Architecture Foundation, the artist and art historian Dr John Golding, James Lingwood of Artangel, other prominent curators and lecturers, as well as the chief art critics of the Times and the Daily Telegraph.

Susan Ferleger Brades

Hayward Gallery

London SE1