Memorandum submitted by the Society of
London Art Dealers
The Society of London Art Dealers (SLAD) represents
about 110 of the top art dealers in Britain, dealing in works
of art covering the whole range from old masters to cutting edge
contemporary art. Most of its members are based in London, but
it is open to suitably qualified dealers from anywhere in the
UK. Many of its members are involved in acquiring works of art
for British museums and galleries and sit on and advise the Reviewing
Committee on the Export of Works of Art. It is a member of the
Advisory Council on the Export of Works of Art.
On the question of funding, SLAD strongly supports
the concern which has been expressed on a regular basis in its
annual reports by the Export Reviewing Committee about the shortage
of funds available to purchase outstanding works of art for our
museums and thus to keep them in the UK. We also note that the
amount of money available for this purpose in the National Heritage
Memorial Fund has remained static for many years, while the amount
contributed to it by the Heritage Lottery Fund, though it varies
from year to year, has also remained at about the same level.
Meanwhile, over the last five to 10 years, there have been huge
increases in the prices of pre-eminent works of art of all periods,
which are naturally the sort of works which the Export Review
Committee would like to see remaining in this country. Not surprisingly
therefore British museums and galleries are seldom able to raise
sufficient money to buy the top works of art which become available
and which they would like to buy and retain in Britain. Unless
more money is made available we believe that this situation is
bound to get gradually worse. If significant amounts of Heritage
Lottery Fund money are diverted to financing the Olympics, this
will aggravate the situation still further.
Although these things are difficult to quantify,
we believe that the wonderful art collections in British galleries
and museums are not only part of our national heritage and an
important cultural resource for our children and for Britons of
all ages, but a major attraction for tourist and business visitors
to the UK. If we sit back and fail to invest in keeping these
collections up to standard, we risk gradually undermining their
attractiveness, with potentially adverse consequences in a world
of increasing global competition.
As regards the effectiveness of the DCMS and
MLA, SLAD believes that while they do a reasonable job in representing
the UK's cultural interests, they need also to take account of
commercial considerations and to do more to protect and promote
the British art trade which is second in importance only to that
of the USA, and outstrips that of the rest of Europe combined.
All in all our art trade employs some 37,000 people and like the
museums and galleries, also plays an important role in attracting
visitors to Britain.
October 2007
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