A SCULPTURE from a renowned British artist has been permanently allocated to an art gallery in Kendal.

Barbara Hepworth’s Moon Form, a white marble sculpture, has been permanently accepted by Abbot Hall in Kendal.

The sculpture has been on a long-term loan to Abbot Hall since it was the centrepiece of the 2014 exhibition Barbara Hepworth: Within the Landscape.

The piece complements other works by her currently on display: Torso III (Galatea); nine lithographs from Hepworth’s Aegean Suite, and Oval Form, a piece purchased by Abbot Hall directly from Hepworth in 1963, and which is located outside the hall in the historic ‘oval’ of the carriage turning circle.

The location for Oval Form was agreed upon in consultation with Hepworth herself.

The Westmorland Gazette: SCULPTURE: Barbara Hepworth's Moon Form has been allocated permanently to Abbot Hall

The news was revealed by The Arts Council as it published the annual Cultural Gifts Scheme and Acceptance in Lieu Annual Report, which disclosed that over the past year paintings, archives, and items of cultural importance - worth £54 million- were accepted for the nation and allocated to museums across the UK.

Now in its eighth year, the CGS enables UK taxpayers to donate important cultural objects to the nation; in return, donors receive a percentage reduction in tax based on the value of the donated item.

Notable works accepted over the past year include the sketchbooks of the artist Mary Fedden which have been permanently allocated to the Tate.

Meanwhile the Acceptance in Lieu (AIL) scheme, which allows those who have an Inheritance Tax Bill to pay the tax by transferring important cultural, scientific or historic objects and archives to the nation, saw the late Professor Stephen Hawking's archive and office allocated to Cambridge University Library and the Science Museum respectively, among many other allocations.

Of the cultural objects allocated in this report, 70 per cent were acquired by institutions outside of London.

Moreover, more than 80 per cent of the total tax settled was accounted for by objects that have been allocated outside of London.

Arts Minister Lord Parkinson for Whitley Bay said: "The Acceptance in Lieu and Cultural Gifts Schemes exist to save important cultural objects for the nation, giving everyone an opportunity to see them on display.

"It's wonderful that so many fascinating works have been acquired through the scheme and I'm delighted that the vast majority have gone to institutions outside of London, benefitting museums, galleries and people across the country."

Sir Nicholas Serota, chair, Arts Council England, said: “This report marks 10 years of the Arts Council’s administration of these schemes, which both play a vital role in ensuring that communities across the nation can enjoy cultural treasures close to where they live.”