Letter: Public art

Sir: It is understandable that people who own works of art on which inheritance tax has been waived should be reluctant to admit strangers to their houses to see them ("Hidden art forced out of the closet", 20 March). Apart from the security risks, private houses are simply not equipped to deal with visits from the general public.

The obvious answer is that the works should be displayed from time to time in premises which are so quipped: public halls and galleries. If large numbers of privately held pictures, furniture and so forth were assembled each year in regional exhibitions, far more people would see them and the owners could preserve their anonymity.

JOHN SWAN

Kedington,

Suffolk