Andrew Graham-Dixon assesses what is on offer for the £100m the Government proposes to pay to house the Thyssen Collection
AS U-TURNS go, the Government offer of £100m-plus for the Thyssen Collection takes some beating. At a time when virtually every major British art institution is drastically short of cash for such basic items as buildings maintenance, it seems more than a shade perverse. It is hard to square with Mrs Thatcher's economic doctrine of good housekeeping.
It's worth going over the story so far. Baron Thyssen-Borne-misza has made an agreement with the Spanish government under which he will loan the 700 or so greatest pictures in his collection to Spain for 10 years, commencing in 1990. It is not known which pictures will be included, but it seems very likely that those selected will also form the body of the Thyssen Collection when it does, finally, find a permanent home. It was generally assumed, until the British bid emerged, that Spain was certain to provide that home, the Spanish having seen off several other national proposals.
Thyssen has continually insisted that he will go through with the 10-year loan to Spain, but has been equally careful to point out that the long-term future of the collection has yet to be decided. The only certainty is that the paintings will remain in Spain until the year 2000. No immediate decision is necessary; in the meantime the Baron can make the most of being courted by aspiring hosts for his collection.
Opinion in this country has been sharply divided over the Government bid. But before one decides whether British acquisition of the collection would be a Good Thing or a Bad Thing, one needs to establish exactly what sort of thing it is. The key question is so obvious that it...
