The Scarborough Collections are owned by Scarborough Borough Council and since 2008 have been cared for on the Council’s behalf by Scarborough Museums Trust. The collection includes over 1,500 works of art from watercolours and oils to works on paper, prints and sculpture. The main strength of the collection lies in its rich representation of local topography, including subjects of the town and area, and marine works by artists who made Scarborough their home for a time. Important pieces in the collection include paintings by John Atkinson Grimshaw, Scarborough-born Frederic Leighton, Eric Ravilious, Edward Bawden and large collections of works by Frank Brangwyn and Henry Barlow Carter. However, the collection as a whole and its provenance make it of regional importance. Many key pieces in the collection were donated by local hotelier Tom Laughton, brother of the Hollywood film star Charles, who filled his hotels with beautiful works to delight guests, mixed in artistic circles and even acted as a patron for several young budding artists.