IT’S YOUR ROUND
Art critic urges drinks giants to gift painting to the nation
A leading art critic has called on Diageo to donate the iconic Monarch of the Glen painting to Scotland rather than charge £4million for it.
Former Glasgow Museums director Julian Spalding says the whisky giants should gift the Sir Edwin Landseer classic as an “angel ’s share” in recognition of the money they make out of the country.
His comments come after a deal was struck last week to hand Diageo millions of pounds of public money to keep the Highland stag painting on public display.
Spalding said: “The Monarch of the Glen is one on the icons of Scotland. It should be somewhere people can see it – preferably in a public collection.
“It’s certainly worth £ 4million – if not a lot more. But it’s a pity the drinks giants can’t give it to the people.
“They’ve made enough money out of Scotland and this sum is a drop in the ocean to them. Why don’t they think of it as the angel’s share?”
The Monarch of the Glen has been on display in Edinburgh for 17 years while on loan to the National Museum of Scotland. But it was feared it couldd go overseas after Diageo – who o obtained it when they bought t whisky firm Dewars in 1997 – put it t up for sale with Christie’s. The e auction house gave it an estimatedd value of £ 8million to £10million.
Diageo later said they would reducee their price from £8million to £4millionn to allow for a publicic bid. A fundraising dr i v e wa s launched and the painting was secured thanks to the Heritage Lottery Fund and donations from t he Scot t i sh Gov e r nment , pr ivate trust s , the Art Fund andd the public.
Diageo, whose se profits for the six months to December 31 were £ 2.1billion, declined to comment.