AN ART gallery has been awarded £600,000 to bring works from a national collection to the south coast.

Towner Art Gallery in Eastbourne is one of three organisations across England to have been handed the six-figure sum from Arts Council England’s National Partners Fund.

The money means Towner has access to a collection of artwork by the likes of Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, Mark Wallinger, David Hockney, Antony Gormley, Anish Kapoor, Tracey Emin and Grayson Perry.

Emma Morris, executive director at Towner, said: “We are delighted to have been selected as one of the partners for this exciting three-year project.

"Inclusion in this scheme will be a real game changer for Towner, enabling us to continue on our upward trajectory and gain real traction on the national and international stage.

"We recognise that our greatest asset is our collection and the aims for this project closely mesh with our own ambitions to broaden and grow audiences by presenting shows which bring established and emerging artists together under a common theme.

“We are looking forward to working with the partners over the next three years in ensuring this project is a huge success and enables as many people as possible to have access to this wonderful and diverse collection.”

The first exhibition to use the collection is called One Day, Something Happens: Paintings Of People, between October 15 and January 8, 2017. The show will include works by Walter Sickert, Lucian Freud, Richard Hamilton, Glenn Brown, Ryan Mosley and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye.

Towner joins Birmingham Museum’s Trust and Walker Art Gallery and National Museums Liverpool in now being able to display a range of artworks from the Arts Council's collection over the next three years.

The new partners are announced as the Arts Council Collection marks its 70th anniversary.

Hedley Swain, south east area director for Arts Council England, said: “This year is a major milestone for the Arts Council Collection, not just for the celebration of its 70th anniversary, but also for the introduction of the National Partners programme.

"Everyone should have the opportunity to experience great art, particularly when – as in the case of the Arts Council Collection - it belongs to the nation; the National Partners programme is another way in which we are working make this happen.

“This is a wonderful achievement for Towner Art Gallery and through this funding many more people across the South East will enjoy and be inspired by these works over the next three years.”