THE stalemate in a row between council officials and a historic art club could be broken by court action, the members of the Paisley Art Institute (PAI) have claimed.
OneRen, Renfrewshire Council’s leisure arm, is currently undertaking a £45 million upgrade of Paisley Museum, a project hailed as the largest cultural heritage project in Scotland.
However, PAI, an artists' collective and promotor of Renfrewshire’s collection of paintings and sculptures founded 147 years ago, claims OneRen's plans will irreparably damage the institution.
Its current members say there is a contractual agreement between PAI and the council that entitles it to use Paisley Museum's six galleries as display space for exhibitions.
Members say there is a legal contract to this effect but insiders at Renfrewshire Council say no such document exists.
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The PAI does have newspaper coverage from 1913 and 1914 that details the fact of the institute's involvement in the building of the then-new art galleries and a stated intention from the Lord Provost at the time that the PAI could use the space.
Under new plans for Paisley Museum, the gallery spaces will be taken up by other works but OneRen said it has offered the PAI the "large, prominent Balcony Gallery" within the building, which has been rejected.
The PAI says the new space is entirely unsuitable and will not allow it to make the most of its extensive collection of works.
Anne Hargan, secretary of the PAI, said: "They want us to go and die and leave them our paintings but that is not going to happen and we are going to have to take drastic action.
"We have sent them a lawyer's letter and will be taking further action to protect the future of the institute."
OneRen says the newly revamped museum is being designed to appeal to a wide range of visitors from all ages and backgrounds, rather than those predominantly interested in fine art.
It strongly refutes trying to force out the PAI and said there are plans to have around 100 paintings on display in the new museum.
Mrs Hargan said: "The Fine Art institute has given so much to Paisley over its long history and we are not against any attempt to breathe new life into the town with an investment of money - but it cannot be at the cost of our organisation.
"At the moment, the plans for Paisley Museum leave us as a casualty of the refurbishment. They have not been explicit in explaining that the exhibits in the museum will be permanent with no room for our collection in the galleries.
"It is a threat to the future of the Paisley Art Institute."
The row centres on a historic agreement that the PAI says exists and which guarantees the institute use of the building.
It stems from, the PAI's Joe Hargan told The Herald, the early 20th century when Peter Coats Jnr funded the creation of additional galleries to Paisley Museum and Art Galleries, to showcase the PAI collection and to host their annual exhibition.
Renfrewshire Council says the PAI has never produced a copy of the historic contract it refers to, and the local authority has obtained legal advice which states the PIA has no legal right to access the galleries in question.
But the group counters that town council minutes from the time show an agreement between the then Paisley Corporation and the Paisley Art Institute in 1913.
Mr Hargan said: "The present Renfrewshire Council has the obligation to adhere to the agreement under transfer of undertaking.
"Also, this has been the custom and use for more than a hundred years.
"We have the agreement copied from the leather bound town council minute book confirming and adopting the agreement and, in 1915, this agreement was reiterated in many national newspapers, including the Herald."
The council and OneRen have engaged with the PAI since 2016 to "capture their requirements" from the redesigned museum and "believes the solution we have offered meets those needs."
A spokesperson for OneRen, which is overseeing the museum refurbishment and will operate the attraction, said: “When the museum reopens there will be a significant number of paintings on display, and we remain in discussions with PAI with a view to a number of the works owned by the PAI being a part of those displayed.
"We are keen to work with the institute and have offered a large, prominent space for their exhibition, which has been declined by PAI.
"The museum is for all of Paisley and it will reflect all of the communities it serves – indeed, we have engaged with more than 70 community groups to shape the audience offer.
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"The PAI is a key part of our cultural heritage and we hope that they will work with us to tell the stories of the town’s incredible artists and artistic legacy."
Paisley Museum has housed the PAI collection of almost 200 pieces of artwork since 1914.
Works include those by Francis Newbery, who was the director of the Glasgow School of Art; Sir John Lavery’s Paisley Lawn Tennis Club; and pieces by the Scottish colourist Francis Cadell.
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