MOD spending funds on art
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MOD spending funds on art
This in today's Telegraph
In 2004/05, MoD civil servants bought a set of paintings by Zil Hoque called Nimbus I, II, III, IV at a cost of £160,000.
They also bought a set of four paintings by Louise Cattrell - Eyrie, Aerial, Tempest and Keep - that cost £72,000, all excluding VAT.
The following financial year, the department spent almost £53,000 simply on maintaining its art collection.
Since the beginning of the Iraq war, officials have bought 3,150 chairs for £1,000 each and 134 widescreen televisions costing £348,000.
Since 2005 the MoD has also wasted £7.7 million by losing spare parts in transit.
Gen Sir Mike Jackson, the former head of the Army, wrote recently that spending on modern art demonstrated the "cultural divide" at the MoD.
In 2004/05, MoD civil servants bought a set of paintings by Zil Hoque called Nimbus I, II, III, IV at a cost of £160,000.
They also bought a set of four paintings by Louise Cattrell - Eyrie, Aerial, Tempest and Keep - that cost £72,000, all excluding VAT.
The following financial year, the department spent almost £53,000 simply on maintaining its art collection.
Since the beginning of the Iraq war, officials have bought 3,150 chairs for £1,000 each and 134 widescreen televisions costing £348,000.
Since 2005 the MoD has also wasted £7.7 million by losing spare parts in transit.
Gen Sir Mike Jackson, the former head of the Army, wrote recently that spending on modern art demonstrated the "cultural divide" at the MoD.
£348000/134 works out at £2597 per TV.......
Why so expensive - and were they really necessary?
As for the art........... Surely there are warehouses stuffed with old naval/regimental/squadron art works which should have been used. Or would that have upset the civil serpentry?
If the chairs last more than 4 times as long as £250 chairs, fair enough. But do they?
How can anyone lose £7.7M worth of equipment 'in transit' in this day and age of computer tracked manifests and waybills? Or was this someone's 'creative accounting'.....??
Why so expensive - and were they really necessary?
As for the art........... Surely there are warehouses stuffed with old naval/regimental/squadron art works which should have been used. Or would that have upset the civil serpentry?
If the chairs last more than 4 times as long as £250 chairs, fair enough. But do they?
How can anyone lose £7.7M worth of equipment 'in transit' in this day and age of computer tracked manifests and waybills? Or was this someone's 'creative accounting'.....??
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This news is about a year old. The funds being spoken of - certainly the bit about buying expensive TVs and chairs, bespoke desks etc., was reported in the 12 Jan 07 issue of Money Week by 'Quintus Slide' in his 'Blowing it' cloumn - a scandalous, nee criminal, spending of £2.4 billion on the refurb of MoD main building.
As for the art........... Surely there are warehouses stuffed with old naval/regimental/squadron art works which should have been used.
There was a "picture store" at Cranwell, it was not a large room "stuffed with old art works", but a dusty box room on the lower floor of the West Wing. It contained nothing of merit or interest except (in my time) 3 original Bairnsfather cartoons. No one else was interested in them then, I wonder where they are now?
At the behest of various senior officers I investigated the possibility of obtaining paintings from other sources. The files showed this to be a well trodden path followed by most of my predecessors. The great estates that had once loaned works of art to the college had long since flogged them off. (An exception to this was the Niedermyer painting of "The Boston Stump" in No1 ante-room. This was still owned by the Harmsworth estate but was generously gifted to The College by Lord Harmsworth in 1974) The "public" paintings by the War Artists were all allocated and already on loan, what few remained in store were there for good reason. They were uniformly ghastly! Likewise the few non-public items that were to be found in storage were best left there.
This does not really address the problem of what to hang on the walls today. I happen to believe that some sort of visual record of the activities of the armed forces is important. In many cases good photography can achieve this, but there are some situations where an artist's interpretation and execution conveys so much more. I would commend the work of David Shepherd as a good example. How does one fund such a project? By giving artists access and enabling them to make their name. This was the way that the RAF acquired most of its Shepherd paintings and quite a few others besides. Maybe not as much "fun" as combing trendy London galleries but it might produce a better result.
YS
Last edited by Yellow Sun; 2nd Jan 2008 at 17:39.
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Stuff - No; they wouldn't have been bought as an investment as the MOD isn't allowed to 'invest'.
Had a wonderful situation in Norway where we had struck a cracking deal to rent from a developer a quantity of MQs for 10 years. At the end of the agreed lease we had the right to buy at cost of build plus inflation. Well this was Stavanger and while inflation in Norway had been modest, locally house price inflation had been astronomical because of the oil boom, so the sensible thing to do was to exercise our right to buy and then flog them straight away on the open market. Sadly our financial wizards said this was not allowed under HMT rules as we would in effect be guilty of investing in a speculative venture! Doh.
Had a wonderful situation in Norway where we had struck a cracking deal to rent from a developer a quantity of MQs for 10 years. At the end of the agreed lease we had the right to buy at cost of build plus inflation. Well this was Stavanger and while inflation in Norway had been modest, locally house price inflation had been astronomical because of the oil boom, so the sensible thing to do was to exercise our right to buy and then flog them straight away on the open market. Sadly our financial wizards said this was not allowed under HMT rules as we would in effect be guilty of investing in a speculative venture! Doh.
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"Since the beginning of the Iraq war, officials have bought 3,150 chairs for £1,000 each and 134 widescreen televisions costing £348,000."
If it helps, our school (SCE) has bought 8 widescreen TV's including interactive touch-screens, all from the MOD purse.
So that leaves 126.
HTH
If it helps, our school (SCE) has bought 8 widescreen TV's including interactive touch-screens, all from the MOD purse.
So that leaves 126.
HTH
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What is wrong with getting the TV?
Apart from the rediculous price (MoD being fleeced once more), Wide screen TV's are becomming almost the 'standard' in AV presentation media in conference rooms, briefing facilities, meetings, 'on-line' conferences etc, so whoever is complaining about them - please provide a better solution. Get a cheaper price - yes, but don't knock the acquisition of them.....and yes, after the use as a useful, functional, robust, briefing tool, the make great PS3 screens, internet, SKY etc.
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Managed to avoid a welfare committee meeting in Basrah by sending the newly-arrived JEngO along. He was amazed that the main topic on the agenda was the decor in the mess-tent and the meeting resulted in a batch of tacky English country scenes being purchased.
So it's not just civil servants that are guilty of this ridiculous crime!
N Joe
So it's not just civil servants that are guilty of this ridiculous crime!
N Joe
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The RAF own some of the best aviation paintings in the country. The collection at Bentley Priory is priceless, and what is to become of that in the near future?
The RAF Club also has an amazing collection, but as has been alluded to already, some of those are 'owned' by private individuals and lent (for with no time limit)(cause I cant spell in perpuitry!) indefinately.
Many of the countries best works are catalogued as being in HQ Strike, and perhaps another can make comment as to the collection at High Wycombe.
There is a place for art in the military, but IMHO it should represent the military not abstract or landscapes, as an element of future history, which lets face it, the UK Armed Forces Plc are making history right now. Be it the right thing or not only time will tell.
Compared to the Army, RAF collections are very poor, and you could get a lot of Cuneo for the fiqures being quoted. At the GAvA Exhibition in London, few works cost in excess of £2000 many less than £1000. £72k +vat and £50k+ to maintain is taking the puss.
The RAF Club also has an amazing collection, but as has been alluded to already, some of those are 'owned' by private individuals and lent (for with no time limit)(cause I cant spell in perpuitry!) indefinately.
Many of the countries best works are catalogued as being in HQ Strike, and perhaps another can make comment as to the collection at High Wycombe.
There is a place for art in the military, but IMHO it should represent the military not abstract or landscapes, as an element of future history, which lets face it, the UK Armed Forces Plc are making history right now. Be it the right thing or not only time will tell.
Compared to the Army, RAF collections are very poor, and you could get a lot of Cuneo for the fiqures being quoted. At the GAvA Exhibition in London, few works cost in excess of £2000 many less than £1000. £72k +vat and £50k+ to maintain is taking the puss.
How can anyone lose £7.7M worth of equipment 'in transit' in this day and age of computer tracked manifests and waybills? Or was this someone's 'creative accounting'.....??
In the Supply world there used to be a phenomena called the "Stafford Triangle". Although it had similar properties to the "Bermuda Triangle" in that 'things' went missing under mysterious circumstances, this triangle was based just off the M6 in the West Midlands.
I'm not sure of the criteria by which items are added to the MOD art collection, but in the past, if the MOD Art Collection web site is to be believed, most additions were made by donations, bequests and gifts and I assume these have dried up. So perhaps buying art is now the "accepted" method of adding to the collection. Further details here: http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/Ab...ArtCollection/
Meanwhile, this is Zil Hoque's Nimbus I.
Whilst the four purchased Louise Cattrell paintings can be seen here:
http://www.louisecattrell.com/Louise...aintings2.html#
Pesonally I rather think some of Banksy's works of art should should have pride of place in some of our messes.
So how about this one for Cranwell?
This one for Odiham:
And where should these hang? Police Training College perhaps?:
Finally this is on a wall and is of a guardsman, so an Army barracks would be more suitable I think.
Meanwhile, this is Zil Hoque's Nimbus I.
Whilst the four purchased Louise Cattrell paintings can be seen here:
http://www.louisecattrell.com/Louise...aintings2.html#
Pesonally I rather think some of Banksy's works of art should should have pride of place in some of our messes.
So how about this one for Cranwell?
This one for Odiham:
And where should these hang? Police Training College perhaps?:
Finally this is on a wall and is of a guardsman, so an Army barracks would be more suitable I think.