Plans by Southampton City Council to sell two renowned works of art from its collection to raise funds for the new Southampton Sea City Museum has caused an outcry in the art world.

Sir Alfred Munnings' painting After the Race and French sculptor Auguste Rodin's Eve are together valued at around £5.5m.

Following the award of a £499,900 first-round pass and the possibility of a further £4.5m of funding for the attraction, a spokesperson for the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) responded to the furore, saying: "We would not normally expect the proceeds of the sale of heritage to be used to create partnership funding for a project.

"We are having ongoing discussions with Southampton City Council regarding this matter and cannot comment further."

The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA), which introduced new guidelines on art sales following the sale of a Lowry painting for £1.4m by Bury Council in 2006, commented: "We support a discerning approach to collections development. We like to see evidence that those responsible strike a balance between the need to keep and preserve collections and the corresponding drive to make all collections more accessible.

"Recent changes to ethical guidelines make it feasible for those responsible for collections to tackle their responsibilities in new ways and to conduct a proper process; done well, this can lead to improved display and stewardship; and possibly to dispersal and disposal.

"We will ensure that the ethical framework is followed and that the standards that apply to museum accreditation are observed in full."

However, the MLA also acknowledged that: "A new facility could be a marked improvement, one likely to be welcomed by the public, and would help to develop the potential of important collections and offer access to a wider community of visitors and users."

Image: A rendering of how the attraction would look