Famed Angus sculptor William Lamb is at the centre of a row over plans to mark his life in print.
Enthusiasts plan to tell Lamb’s story in a new book but they now face a financial hurdle after Angus councillors rejected a £5,000 grant application for a project described by the leader of the local authority as “a white elephant … ego project for people in Montrose”.
Regarded as one of the nation’s most influential sculptors of the 20th century, Lamb’s contemporary clients included the late Queen Mother, whose daughters, including the Queen, he was commissioned to create portrait heads of in the early 1930s.
He died in his home town in 1951 and is remembered in a series of town public art pieces, as well as through the William Lamb studio, which he gifted to the community and is now run by Angus Council.
It is strongly supported by the Friends of William Lamb group, which, along with Montrose Heritage Trust, is planning the autumn launch of a high-quality publication that will be the first to tell the full story over the important but little-known talent.
Retired Montrose businessman John Stansfeld has researched Lamb’s life story and was fortunate to make contact with one of the sculptor’s closest friends in Orkney, Mildred (Ray) Simm, who passed on an invaluable archive of material to assist in the creation of the biography.
Ray was able to read the first chapters before her death at the age of 105 in 2005 and the book is dedicated to her memory.
The aim is to launch the work at the Royal Scottish Academy but the partners are £5,000 short for a project which they told Angus Council in a grant bid would only bring in £600 a total loss of more than £15,000.
Officials said the community grant scheme bid should be rejected on the grounds that the book does not represent good value for money but Montrose councillor David May urged infrastructure services committee colleagues to get behind the idea.
“Not to award this grant would be a slap in the face to an internationally-recognised figure and the Friends of William Lamb, who do such important work,” he said.
“This is a high-quality art book of great significance, not only to our town but to Angus and Scotland as a whole.”
Mr May added: “The £5,000 would help launch the book in the town and at the RSA, with the subsequent visitor potential that would generate.”
Council leader Iain Gaul said the business case for the biography simply did not stack up.
“We haven’t been told how many books are going to be printed, how many are going to be sold and how many people are going to come to Angus as a result,” he said.
“These things are very expensive to finance and all we have here is a business case that says it is going to lose £15,400 that is not a good business case.
“This book is a bit of white elephant, it’s an argument that doesn’t fly.
“This £5,000 can go to better things than an ego project for people in Montrose,” he said.
Councillor Bob Myles supported the grant bid, commenting: “It is important we support local tourist attractions.
“William Lamb is world-renowned. For many years we have tried to promote his work and the Friends have done a great deal towards that.
“It’s a justifiable investment towards tourism and bringing people to Montrose and Angus.”
But council finance spokesman Alex King said the business case for the book fell down.
“This particular idea is just that a good idea but the market has not been researched. Why should Angus Council be bailing this out when it’s not got a chance of at least washing its face?”
Councillors voted 8-6 to reject the grant bid.