Degas on show at Royal Academy of Arts has government indemnity withdrawn
An advertisement in a London newspaper listed the drawing as “for sale” while the exhibition is running
By Martin Bailey. Web only
Published online: 23 November 2011
London. A Degas at the Royal Academy of Arts (RA) has had its government indemnity withdrawn, following enquiries by The Art Newspaper. The charcoal drawing of the Dancer, 1880-85, is currently in the “Degas and the Ballet” exhibition (until 11 December).
Dancer has been on display as lent by Trinity House, a London and New York dealer. On 22 November, Trinity House ran a large advertisement in the London newspaper the Daily Telegraph, stating prominently that the drawing is “currently on loan to the Royal Academy” and “available for sale”. The work was also featured on the home page of Trinity House’s website. It, like the rest of the hundreds of millions of pounds worth of art in the Degas show, is covered by UK government indemnity.
However, the advertisement contravened UK government guidelines, which forbid owners or dealers “to capitalise” on the public display of indemnified works of art. Following our enquiry, the RA immediately informed Arts Council England, which administers the indemnity system, and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. After its initial contact with Trinity House, the RA told The Art Newspaper that the advertisement for Dancer had been “a genuine misunderstanding on the part of the owner” and “the work is no longer for sale”.
