Hockney illustrates shortfall in funding

A work of art by David Hockney would take pride of place on most office walls. But when Gordon Brown, the Chancellor, receives one today he may feel more inclined to hide it away in embarrassment.

Fears that the Government is likely to ignore pleas to save Britain's crumbling regional museums and galleries have led Hockney to join forces with some of the UK's most celebrated artists to highlight what will happen if it does not.

He has painted a letter addressing the crisis, which has been printed by members of the Royal College of Art and co-signed by nine of his illustrious colleagues. They include "Young British Artists" such as Damien Hirst, representatives of the art world establishment such as Howard Hodgkin andSixties pop art heroes such as Peter Blake and Bridget Riley.

A report by the museums body, Resource, last autumn said the regional museums were suffering from decades of under-investment and needed an extra £267m funding to be brought back up to scratch.

In the letter, the artists call on the Chancellor to seize the opportunity presented by both the report and an action plan that has been developed by museum executives. "We are all working artists who currently enjoy an international reputation, yet we are deeply conscious of the local roots of our inspiration," the letter says. "We first encountered some of the great works of art that have shaped our lives, not in leading London galleries, but in local museums and art galleries.

"These great cultural assets are vital to the lives of millions of people, many of whom may never come to London. They have been grossly neglected for more than two decades. Now ... they are in danger of being allowed to wither and die."

The other signatories are Tony Cragg, Antony Gormley, Ian Hamilton Finlay, Anish Kapoor and Rachel Whiteread.