THE sell-off of a painting by a prominent Bolton artist is being reconsidered by council chiefs following criticism from an influential arts body.

In a ruling on the disposal of 36 paintings — which Bolton Museum bosses hope will raise £500,000 towards building a new storage facility — the Museums Association’s Ethics Committee expressed concern over the sale of one particular work, Alfred Heaton Cooper’s Corrie Village, Arran.

Cooper was raised in Bolton and is recognised as one of the finest Victorian landscape painters.

Last month the council said that the painting would be auctioned off as it did not fit into any of its “core strands” of Egyptology, post-war 20th century British art and items which document Bolton’s history.

But yesterday, a spokesman for the council said: “Although Corrie Village, Arran, by Alfred Heaton Cooper, is not of a Bolton scene and this artist is represented by other works in the collection, we are currently reviewing the inclusion of this painting on the advice of the Museums Association as he was brought up in the borough.”

The Ethics Committee said it was satisfied that the sale was not intended to generate short-term income and, when used to fund a new store, would significantly improve the long term benefit from the remaining collection.

But it also questioned whether other funding options had been fully looked into.

However the council said the decision to sell the painting was taken by its Executive “following an extensive exploration of alternative funding options”.

These included grants from external funding bodies, including Heritage Lottery funding, which were investigated over a period of 15 months prior to the decision.

It also added it would now consult with the public about the development of the new storage facility.

The Museums Association’s ruling is not binding, however it will be passed on to the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council which will consider their final verdict in May.