Earlier this year, Bullingdon, the minister’s special adviser, rang me. “Listen, Looby-Loo,” he said, using my old Oxford nickname, “Jeremy’s saved too many millions by cutting cash for the little museums. The nationals have so much public money they are choking on it. Give me an idea, quick.”
As director of the National Museum of British History, it is my job to chronicle the defining events of contemporary Britain. Doing exhibitions is a bit tricksy without a building, staff or collections, but it doesn’t stop me having good ideas.
So to honour the Royal Wedding, with £1m from DCMS, I decided to give 10 of our Great Artists £100,000 each to “create tasteful and respectful works that celebrate England’s love of the monarchy, suitable for reproduction and sale in museums”.
I was disappointed by the results. Tracey Emin painted a naked cardboard Prince Harry and laid it out on her famous bed. Damien Hirst created a life-sized Prince William, and sliced him from head to crotch and suspended him in formaldehyde.
Gilbert and George created a bank note showing police kettling and killing protestors at a demonstration in London. And Steve Bell designed a mug illustrating Prince Charles as St George, being slaughtered by a Welsh dragon.
I had to stop the project, but it was all the more galling that a national museum in the north stepped in to display the works, and the limited editions flew out of its shop, raising far more than £1m.
One good thing came out of this debacle. I managed, at the last minute, to have Bullingdon take the director of the museum off the list of names recommended for a knighthood in this year’s honours.
As director of the National Museum of British History, it is my job to chronicle the defining events of contemporary Britain. Doing exhibitions is a bit tricksy without a building, staff or collections, but it doesn’t stop me having good ideas.
So to honour the Royal Wedding, with £1m from DCMS, I decided to give 10 of our Great Artists £100,000 each to “create tasteful and respectful works that celebrate England’s love of the monarchy, suitable for reproduction and sale in museums”.
I was disappointed by the results. Tracey Emin painted a naked cardboard Prince Harry and laid it out on her famous bed. Damien Hirst created a life-sized Prince William, and sliced him from head to crotch and suspended him in formaldehyde.
Gilbert and George created a bank note showing police kettling and killing protestors at a demonstration in London. And Steve Bell designed a mug illustrating Prince Charles as St George, being slaughtered by a Welsh dragon.
I had to stop the project, but it was all the more galling that a national museum in the north stepped in to display the works, and the limited editions flew out of its shop, raising far more than £1m.
One good thing came out of this debacle. I managed, at the last minute, to have Bullingdon take the director of the museum off the list of names recommended for a knighthood in this year’s honours.
