Artists have walked out en masse from Harrow Arts Centre in a storm over the censorship of five paintings. Cheryl Gould, who teaches life drawing at The Frobisher Art Studio in Bushey Museum and at Harrow Arts Centre, is leading the boycott after Harrow Council told her and a fellow artist to take down their work, featuring nude figures, from a public exhibition.

Melvyn Leach, business manager at the arts centre, had the paintings removed from the exhibition the night before it was due to open because he believed they might offend some members of the public.

Cheryl and fellow artists from Harrow and Watford have reacted in horror at the decision and some have threatened to walk away from the largest arts venue in the area because of the perceived censorship.

Cheryl says: “Unless we make a stand with a public voice, they will try to sweep it under the carpet until next time.

“The paintings and drawings were not rude, crude or remotely suggestive.

“They were just what you would expect to see from any normal life class anywhere, the sort of work my A-Level students would not be unhappy with.”

Cheryl tells me she wasn’t even consulted about the council’s decision.

“They contacted Jonathan Hutchins but they didn’t even discuss it with me. The thing about my painting is it had actually been on display before. If you saw it you’d be hard pressed to know why they’d banned it.”

A practising sculptor, Cheryl, is a founder member of Harrow Visual Arts Forum and member of The Royal Society of British Sculptors. Trained as a sculptor at the Harrow School of Art, Cheryl went on to attend a fine art and sculpture course at Kingston Polytechnic. She has been running a thriving life drawing class in Harrow Arts Centre since the ‘80s. Her stand has been backed by several high profile artists who are outraged at the council’s decision to censor the exhibition.

Shanti Panchal, a distinguished artist who has a studio in Wealdstone, says: “I think it is terrible, it sounds like something from the middle ages.

“I was so shocked when I heard and think all artists should stand up and speak out about what’s happening.”

Jonathan Hutchins, whose paintings were also censored by the council, says: “I know that you would not be in favour of removing Piccadilly’s Eros or Florence’s David to museums so that they are not in public view.

“It begs the question why the people of Harrow who visit an arts centre are to be protected to such a degree?”

Norma Stephenson, chairman of the Harrow Arts Society, which put on the exhibition which finished on Sunday, October 26, has called on the council to clarify its position, which at the moment remains “undefined”.

She says: “Is it really that bad for children to walk past pictures of people with no clothes on? Where do we draw the line? Which nudes, if any, are suitable for public display?”

Councillor Chris Mote, who is in charge of leisure in Harrow, has continued to defend the decision taken by Mr Leach and has said nude works could be displayed in a private room in the arts centre with a “health warning” on the door.

However, the artists have baulked at that offer, saying it will turn the paintings into a Victorian peep show and create even more problems.

The stand-off is now threatening future exhibitions in the arts centre, which were set to feature artists from across north west London and Hertfordshire.

Art Harrow 2008 opens on Saturday, November 15 at the arts centre, but several leading artists have vowed to stay away, as the scandal threatens to overshadow future exhibitions.