Tracey Emin Delivers Titian Petition
Leading Artists Take Titian Campaign to Downing Street
Nov 12, 2008
Britart sensation Emin handed Prime Minister Gordon Brown the petition signed by some of the most celebrated names in contemporary art – including David Hockney, Damien Hirst and Lucian Freud – in a plea for the government to help fund the purchase of Diana and Actaeon (1556-59) and Diana and Callista (1559).
Campaign for the Titians
The paintings, owned by the Duke of Sutherland, have been on view at – and under the care of - the National Galleries of Scotland since 1945. While Sutherland is determined to sell the paintings, he has expressed hope they will remain on public view in the UK, and has set a deadline of 31 December 2008 for the National Galleries of Scotland and England to raise a discounted £50million for Diana and Actaeon, to be followed if successful by a similar deal for Diana and Callisto in three years’ time.
With the combined £100 million falling outside regular budgets, the Galleries have formed a campaign to keep the Titian masterpieces in the UK, including a donation appeal to the public and a special exhibition at the National Gallery in London.
Tracey Emin Ambassador for Masterpieces
Emin – who herself gifted a valuable sculpture to the National Galleries of Scotland after her 20-year career retrospective showed there this year – delivered the petition to the Prime Minister’s home at 10 Downing Street along with a reproduction of Diana and Actaeon.
Emin stressed that the sale of the paintings should still be a priority for the government despite the current economic crisis. "They are worth far more than [£50 million each],” she told press outside 10 Downing Street. "We are building an Olympics that we can't afford and can't maintain afterwards. This country seems hell-bent on supporting a war which is so ugly. In these times we are living in, why can't we celebrate things that are really beautiful?"
Heritage of British Art
The petition emphasises the importance of the British public and visitors having access to such masterpieces as the two Titians, linking the collections of the National Galleries with contemporary artistic development.
"The high reputation currently being enjoyed by British art, both at home and abroad, depends on the extraordinary quality and depth of our national collections, which have always been, and remain, a constant stimulus to contemporary artists," states the petition.
"We also believe that in challenging times, the heritage of the past and the art of the present are more important than ever."
Public Support for National Galleries
Campaigners hope their plea will be as successful with the government as it has been with the public. Donations have been pouring in to support the National Galleries’ purchase – including, as noted by Magnus Linklater’s 9 November Times article "Galleries optimistic they can pull off a masterstroke and buy the Titian", a cheque for £52.49 – “exactly half one pensioner's weekly earnings.”
“We never expected such a wave of public support,” Director of the National Galleries of Scotland, John Leighton, told Linklater. “When we made the announcement we knew it was big news, but we weren't prepared for this level of interest. It's very heartening. I am optimistic that our target is achievable. It requires a huge collective effort but I am confident that it can be done.”
 |
 |
