Artwork valued at hundreds of thousands of pounds has gone missing from Britain's Government Art Collection, reports the Times (London). According to a recent audit, at least 50 paintings are unaccounted for, all of them uninsured. While some have been reported stolen, more than half have simply disappeared from the collection.

Jeremy Hunt, the shadow culture secretary, has called on Culture Minister Andy Burnham to increase security. "When the whole country is desperately trying to raise money to keep Titian’s Diana and Actaeon painting, it is outrageous that the government can’t even look after the paintings we do have," he said. "The Department for Culture, Media and Sport [DCMS] needs to get it together on a problem that has been going on for too long."

The Government Art Collection consists of over 13,500 works dating from the 16th century to the present day and is valued at more than £100 million ($144 million). Half of its annual grant of £500,000 is spent on purchasing and commissioning art.

Among the lost works are Beach Scene by Abraham van Beyeren, a renowned still-life painter, and Capri Sunrise by Frederic Leighton, president of the Royal Academy from 1878 to 1896, which sold for £102,000 at a Christie's auction in 2002.

A spokesperson for the DCMS said, "There are more than 13,500 works of art in the Government Art Collection’s holdings. The GAC undertakes audits of its holdings, and these occasionally show that works are not in their previously recorded locations. However, after extensive searches, many of these subsequently turn up."