Hi Canice
It's not often I agree with you.
A lot of people would take a very narrow, short-term view that we should abandon the arts completely in the current environment.
They would not realise that the Central Bank's very large art collection is of national importance which has been developed since the foundation of the State. I think that they own Lavery's painting of Lady Lavery which featured on our bank notes. The proceedings of the Consumer Panel were definitely stimulated by being in the presence of Robert Ballagh's masterpiece - Winter in Ronda.
The only shame is that the public don't get to see it very often.
Great art collections need to be minded. I am glad that the Central Bank is takng care of this national asset.
Brendan
I am at a loss to understand why it is the National Gallery cannot perhaps take care of it and maybe put it on display for the general public on occasion. This does form part of the remit of the National Gallery. As an asset of the nation, it would be of more value there.
With respect to the stimulation of Consumer Panel proceedings, I feel of more importance might have been the decision of various retail banks in this country to loosen lending criteria by way of, for example, salary multiples, LTVs, 100% mortgages and the like.
After all, it excited the discussion of a lot of people here and elsewhere who perhaps did not have the benefit of great art on their desks or at their water coolers. I believe that the Central Bank should have a certain amount of decoration; however, if they need a curator, then they clearly have far too much great art to be taking care of. It is not a core part of their business and unlike - for example - IT, it is hardly a necessary part of their support services either.
In terms of financing arts, most people who are concerned about spending this area are less worried about the financing of an essentially private art collection for a government body and more concerned about financing theatre, music, writers-in-residence, public art. The sort of things that the public do have access to in other words. It would be shameful if we continued to spend money on the art collection of the Central Bank while cutting funding for, amongst other things, the Arts Council.
