A mothballed gallery in Glasgow could still have a life as an arts venue.
Glasgow City Council, which owns McLellan Galleries, is to consider various options for its future use before Christmas.
The galleries in the city's Sauchiehall Street are currently closed to the public, and the Royal Glasgow Institute (RGI) of the Fine Arts wants to return to the venue next year to stage its annual exhibition.
Renovating the building to make it habitable will cost around £131,000, council sources say.
The RGI's annual show has been held at the Mitchell Library in recent years, after the McLellan Galleries were used to hold the collections of the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum while it was being renovated.
The RGI's president, Karin Currie, said the institute, which first held its exhibition in 1861, now wants to move back to its historical home.
The Mitchell Library is to undergo its own refurbishment in 2013 and the RGI will have to move its annual show next year.
"We are working hard at returning to the McLellan Galleries and need to make the decision by the end of the year," Ms Currie told The Herald.
"Missing a year is not an option I want to consider."
The council is currently consulting "with a range of stakeholders" over the future of the galleries, including arts bodies.
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