Buying Titian for the Nation: Diana and Actaeon
Buying Titian for the Nation: Diana and Actaeon
Tracey Emin delivers a petition to save Titian masterpieces for the nation
The sale of Diana and Actaeon by Titian for £50 million is being negotiated with the Duke of Sutherland Here the painting is at the National Gallery in London being shown for 4 weeks as a part of the fund raising exercise. The visit was later extended as it was so successful.
Late August 2008 the Duke of Sutherland declared to the National Gallery of Scotland that he wished to sell Diana and Actaeon as well as another Titian Diana and Callisto at a later date. The Duke of Sutherland was prepared to accept £50 million for each of them. It is likely that they could fetch three times the amount on the open market. now if this sounds like a financial bargain for the nation one must remember that the tax payable on an open market sale would run into tns of millions of pounds.
As argued elsewhere the financial concerns should be set to one side, the key issue here is the dvelopment of cultural citizenship within the nation which requires high quality cultural products and services in order to achive this. Clearly the opportunity to acquire some 'Old Masters' by a canonical painter is extremely rare. The reason the Damien Hirsts can command such high prices is because there is a shortage of older work available for collectors. Any painting like this must be considered as an investment in lots of different ways. It is an investment in education for a start so that spurious argument about spending the money on schools is vitiated.
Having high quality art by canonical artists gnerates long-term wealth creation through tourism as anybody going around the main London galleries could hardly fail to notice. These visitors create a lot of tax as well as create a lot of employment. Nevertheless there are a lot of retrograde attitudes out there with many coming from those who ought to know better:
"Very few people will ever have heard of Titian, many will have thought he was an Italian football player. What is the point of wasting this money in this way?"(Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme, Mr Davidson, the member for Glasgow South West)
Davidson's comment is both patronising and at the same time a strong indictment of the educational system!
Diana and Actaeon by Titian
The Scottish National Gallery
The Scottish National Gallery Complex
The Scottish National Gallery
At time of writing it sems that the deal is going through there are just some loose ends to be tied up so fingers crossed! This acquisition can only be of long-term benefit to the nations and their citizens.
Webliography
BBC News Story on Sales of Titian
The Art Fund gives £1 million to Titian Fund
Scottish Executive gives £17.5 million towards Titian. The Independent
Lubbock in Independent: Is Titian's Painting Worth Saving?
Andrew Graham-Dixon on keeping the Titians
Titian Fundaraising Sparks Political Row - BBC
Tracey Emin on Saving the Titians -BBC Interview
The Fight for Turner's Blue Rigi
Mark Callan
http://www.nationalgalleries.org/aboutus/news/1:171/6356
You’ll be glad to hear that D&A has been saved!
02 Feb 2009, 13:02
Thanks for this news and the link Mark. Full announcement below:
“2 February 2009 Diana and Actaeon is secured for the nation
Diana and Actaeon is secured for the nation
The National Galleries of Scotland and the National Gallery, London are delighted to announce that Titian’s Diana and Actaeon has been acquired for the nation from the Duke of Sutherland.”
02 Feb 2009, 15:14
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