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Further plans are being made to protect the Nation's Treasures. From a Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries press release:
"Treasures for our Future"
New Panel Established To Help Heritage Treasures Become Permanently Available for All in the UK
At a reception to be held at No 11 Downing Street on 15 October it will be announced that a Panel has been established to assist with the retention and public display of important cultural items which might otherwise be sold outside the UK. The Panel will work towards securing such items for British public collections where they can be enjoyed by everyone, for this and future generations.
This Panel developed from a suggestion by Sir Jack Baer in 2001, previously chairman of the Acceptance in Lieu Panel.
Chaired by Sir Martin Jacomb, the Panel comprises a group which includes Loyd Grossman, Chairman of the Campaign for Museums, Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum and David Barrie, Director of the National Art Collections Fund.
The Panel has now been asked to consider its first case which involves the magnificent set of paintings by the Spanish 17th century artist Francisco de Zurbarán (1598-1664) and his studio of Jacob and his Twelve Sons. The owners of these pictures, the Church Commissioners, have approached the Panel in the hope that these paintings can remain within the UK and specifically within the North-East where they have hung for almost three centuries.
Sir Martin commented, "For too long we have seen one crisis after another as it is announced that important items are to go under the auctioneer's hammer. Museums, archives and libraries are then faced with a desperate race against time to negotiate an acquisition, before the hammer falls."
The "Treasures for Our Future" Panel will provide an impartial forum where private owners can discuss, in confidence, their options on how they can dispose of their cultural assets and still ensure that these remain in this country. The Panel will also provide help to UK public institutions which are seeking to acquire such items, including suggestions on fund raising. However, the Panel is not a funding body for acquisitions.
The Panel will provide private owners with information and impartial suggestions when, for whatever reason, they need to sell their treasures. It believes that most owners would prefer to see the UK's cultural heritage remain in this country. It has noted the success of the Acceptance in Lieu Panel, with which it has several members in common, particularly in negotiating the transfer to the National Gallery of Scotland of Titian's Venus Anadyomene for which the Heritage Lottery Fund provided a grant of £7.6m.
The Panel is delighted with the support it has already received and is encouraged in its efforts by the kind permission of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP, to hold its initial reception at No 11 Downing Street and to the Rt Hon Paul Boateng MP, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, for hosting the reception. The Chief Secretary said, "To ensure future generations continue to have access to our rich cultural heritage, I have established, under the chairmanship of Sir Nicholas Goodison, a review of how we can help museums and galleries acquire important cultural items that might otherwise be sold abroad. This new Panel is a welcome additional initiative and I wish it every success."
Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries has agreed to provide the administrative assistance. Mark Wood, Chairman of Resource said. "This Panel is a bold attempt to act before the next cultural crisis emerges and Resource will do all it can to help it work effectively."
Brian Allen, Chairman of the UK's leading arts charity, The National Art Collections Fund, commented, "The Panel provides an excellent vehicle for sharing information that might help prevent the all- too common situation where last minute rescues fail for lack of time and agreement."
Something is not right. This message is just to keep things from messing up down the road