I've just dropped D. and a friend off at the train station ( one mile away) They are off to the Beer Festival at the Roundhouse in Derby. This venue (where trains were turned on a huge turntable) is actually adjacent to the train station and a wonderful venue it is too. I remember as a child visiting the "Loco Works" open day with my best friend, whose father worked in the workshops there. The turntable was working then. Later on, as an art student, I visited the Roundhouse (by now an empty, dusty building) to sketch the interesting shapes made by the beams in the ceiling. Now it is an annex for Derby College and a venue for all manner of things.
In truth, Derby is not known for keeping it's treasures and is known by some as "Knock-it-Down Derby". Recently, a Lowry has been bought up from the bowels of Derby museum and art gallery. It has been there since the 1946. I was born in Derby the same year, to a father who painted, went to Art College in Derby and regularly visited the Museum and Art Gallery from childhood and I had no idea we had a Lowry and a good one at that! Apparently the painting is one of many paintings by diverse artists, languishing in the archives. There is not room to show them all. So what to do?! I bet you know what I'm going to say next ! Yes, some people want Derby to sell the Lowry, which is worth an estimated £1 million. We could do with the money for all sorts of things, people are starving, care homes are closing, public buildings need renovating. There are many, many reasons to sell the painting. HOWEVER...Once the money is used it is gone and in public services one million pounds would be swallowed up in seconds! Why can't we use it to generate money?. Why can't we rotate the paintings that we have so that we can enjoy them all at at new exhibitions, which will attract more people to the city ? Why can't the painting be shown, in turns, at the museums in the smaller towns in Derbyshire, giving them a boost?
Agree or disagree ? Can we afford the "luxury" of paintings when services are stretched and the money could be used elsewhere?
Here it is.....
It was our wedding anniversary on Thursday.... 48 years! Do you think we might make ago at it? Time will tell I am sure!
All for now. Off to bake a cake or two to feed some volunteers who are coming to work on "our" stretch of the canal tomorrow. (weather permitting!)
Welcome Jane Fearn to Blog Lovin. Hope you enjoy visiting my blog and join in when you feel like it!
Gillx
Our little local C of E church sold a painting, before we came here, to fund restoration of the church. In that case they were probably right as there was no where to display it anyway. But a Lowry is a different matter, surely it shoul be on view.
ReplyDeleteBelated Happy Anniversary wishes to you. A child bride of course!
I think it should be on display in Derby too.
DeleteThanks for the best wishes.. I certainly was.. almost illegal!
Gill
Belated anniversary wishes xx here's to the next 48 years !!!!!
ReplyDeleteTee hee. Thanks !
DeleteGill
I'm not really a Lowry fan, but to sell it would be madness; a little akin to Gordon (son of the manse) Brown selling all England's gold for peanuts.
ReplyDeletep.s. 1946 was obviously a VERY good year (ahem).
DeleteI was never a big fan, not being able to get beyond the matchstick men thing. Then I started to appreciate his landscapes and buildings and his use of such a restricted palette. I went to the Lowry at Salford, Manchester and was hooked! Since then I have been to see an exhibition at Nottingham University.
DeleteMy husband read your comment about Gordon Brown and nodded vigorously.. "This man talks sense" he declared.
p.s A VINTAGE year obviously!
Gill
I think you've come up with a great solution, as you say, the money generated from the sale would be swallowed up in no time at all, but the paintings could be used to generate money. I like Lowry, I think you can always tell a Lowry painting. My mum was born in Derby but moved to Leicester in her teens and then to Leeds when she met my dad. Congratulations on your wedding anniversary, 48 years is some going.
ReplyDeleteShort term gain methinks.
DeleteDerbyshire blood and now in Leeds eh? My husband's mother was born in Settle, Yorkshire and moved to Derbyshire. Guess it was a fair swap!
Thanks for the congrats
Gill
Happy Anniversary for yesterday.. :o)
ReplyDeleteThanks Julie.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see you are back in blogland. Are you still planning on planting for bees?
Gill
Happy anniversary and many more to come.
ReplyDeleteSelling the painting would mean chicken feed in terms of money needed. As you say it would disappear in a trice.
I dont think it is a good idea to sell the paintings.......I dont know why; I just dont.
ReplyDeleteWho is going to say what the million is going to be spent on and you will lose part of your heritage. You sell the painting, spend the money and then you have neither..
both are gone and nothing to show for it. Let it be an investment in the community - lend them out to other galleries and charge them for the loan.
That's what I think too
DeleteNice to see you here again Lizzie. Hope you are keeping well. I put a picture of the field kitchen on my blog especially for you a few posts back.
Thanks for the greeting
Gill
Oh also, Happy Aniversary, Gill !
ReplyDelete48 years! Wow! I've been with my wife 12 years and married for 4 so we've got a bit of catching up to do!
ReplyDeleteAs for the painting, I'm very much against the government or councils selling off any assets as they can't get them back. And who knows in ten years time it might be worth 50 times as much and then everyone would be saying "why did they sell that painting". It's very shortsighted to sell these things off!
We met when I was 14 in 1960 and married in 1966 (World Cup year !) We've had our ups and downs, but grub along pretty well. I aim to be "good enough" at just about everything, including being married and it serves well enough!
DeleteGlad you agree re, the painting.
Gill
Oh my goodness, Happy Anniversary! Yours is a wonderful tribute to marriage! Interesting about the roundhouse, I've only seen one in my life, in Ft. Worth, TX. As for the painting, I agree with you.
ReplyDeleteThank you! We will probably have "a bit of a do" in a couple o years time when we reach Gold.
DeleteI am going to post a picture of the roundhouse as many people haven't seeen one
So glad you agree with me. Though feeding ourselves is important, feeding our minds and souls shouldn't be ignored
Gill
You ask in your comment on my blog whether we were directly affected by the Foot and Mouth epidemic. Yes we were. One Sunday morning the farmer found it in one of our sheep. Within twelve hours all our sheep and all our dairy herd were put down. The aiuthorities drew a 1km ring around our farm on the map and everyone inside that ring had their livestock slaughtered within twemty four hours. This was four dairy herds and at least two beef herds. It was a dreadful shock - they were burnt on site at a huge bonfire. I think the saving grace for us was that the vet that got involved with us had to stay within the 1km circle and stayed with us - so I had to cook proper meals and in the evenings we had to make conversation. He saved the day. We never went back into milk and now we let our land out and our buildings to our friend and neighbour and look after his stock, so are semi retired. Not a time I would like to live through again.
ReplyDelete