Sir,

I write in response to the article 'Exhibition opens amid controversy' (March 21).

As we all know the mud of controversy has a tendency to stick. Therefore, the time has come unfortunately to have to set the record straight on the 'waste of money' show currently running at Tenby Museum.

Tenby Museum and Art Gallery has been involved in exhibiting and supporting artists for the past 13 years since the provision of the New Art Gallery. The museum is proud of the artists whose work we have shown and are always supportive of up and coming artists by offering them the opportunity to display their work.

Also our permanent art collection is regarded as one of the finest in the county, including works by Gwen and Augustus John, John Piper, Kyffin Williams, Arthur Giardelli, David Jones, Nina Hamnett, John Knapp Fisher and many others. The 'local artist who asked not to be named' alleges that the exhibition is a waste of time and money. I must confess to a certain amount of scepticism regarding the veracity of this gentleman's allegations and ask the question when the opportunity arose for this gentleman to have viewed the exhibition prior to the opening as no local artists attended the opening?

I am therefore led to conclude that these 'opinions' amount to nothing more than a continuation of the pre-arranged publicity device (see Western Telegraph, April 2) to try and draw people in to see the exhibition, which I am sorry to say has not done anyone any favours - neither the town, the museum, the recognised art critic who opened the show and very generously travelled from Brighton to attend, nor the two artists.

The museum is of the opinion that people have made up their minds about the show purely from this publicity and less people have been inclined to make the visit.

The sad thing is that the work has a great deal of artistic merit and is not merely a 'load of scrawls on paper and a horrible orange blob' as allegedly lambasted by one anonymous local artist.

I feel it would have been much better if the work had been allowed to speak for itself as opposed to resorting to what amounts to little more than shock tactics which have made people wary not only about the integrity of the two artists, but also the integrity of the museum.

The museum is too professional and too long established to be associated with what amounts to nothing more than a sensationalist stunt.

Mark Lewis, Collections manager, Tenby Museum and Art Gallery.