THE face of a visual artist will appear on the next £20 note - and the Bank of England wants the public to make nominations.

The banknote, which will enter circulation in the next three to five years, currently features the economist Adam Smith.

The Bank is asking the public for suggestions of artists ranging from painters to furniture makers.

But the Bank will want to avoid a repeat of previous equality complaints.

It faced criticism after the planned replacement of campaigner Elizabeth Fry on the £5 note with Winston Churchill, which left it facing the prospect of no women being used on banknote images.

This was solved when author Jane Austen was announced as the image on the next £10 note.

The public will be asked to nominate an artist to be considered for the banknote.

They can include painters, fashion designers, sculptors, ceramicists, furniture makers, photographers and film-makers.

This will then be considered by a committee which, taking into account worthiness, equality and diversity, will whittle down the list to between three and five.

The final decision will then be made by the governor of the Bank, Mark Carney following advice from a panel which includes Sandy Nairne, former director of the National Portrait Gallery, and art critic Andrew Graham-Dixon.

The notes will be designed and manufactured by currency maker De la Rue, which has banknote factories at Gateshead and Debden, Essex.

After World War II, the £20 denomination did not reappear until 1970, when the new note featured a statue of William Shakespeare and the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet on its reverse.

FIVE CASH FACTS WORTH NOTING:

*When George Best appeared on a Northern Ireland £5 it proved so popular that the limited edition of one million sold out in 10 days.

*£1,000 notes continued to be issued until 1943. They ceased to be legal tender in 1945.

*De La Rue in Gateshead is the biggest commercial banknote factory in the world.

*Plastic banknotes that can survive a spin in the washing machine are to be brought into circulation by the Bank of England in 2016.

* 1963 was the first year a Bank of England note was issued with the face of the Queen. Before that they had the image of Britannia.

Nominations for the person to appear on the next version of the £20 note must be made by July 19 online at http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/Pages/characters/nominationform.aspx

or by post to The Banknote Education Team, Bank of England, Threadneedle Street, London EC2R 8AH.