§ 43. Mr. A. M. SAMUELasked the First Commissioner of Works whether he will obtain from the trustees of the National Gallery the loan of an additional number of such oil paintings as do not form part of the permanent exhibition at Trafalgar Square or Millbank in order that he may distribute such pictures among the various Government offices in Whitehall and in other buildings in London under Government control, so as to allow the pictures to be seen and, at the same time kept under observation as to condition?
§ The FIRST COMMISSIONER of WORKS (Mr. Lansbury)The Trustees of the National Galleries have rendered considerable assistance to my Department in the past by the loan of surplus pictures to adorn the more important rooms in 920 official premises, and I do not consider that any further action in this direction is necessary at the present time.
§ Mr. SAMUELWill the right hon. Gentleman say what is the good of having pictures if the authorities keep them in a cellar and do not show them?
§ Mr. LANSBURYThat question should be put to the trustees.
§ Mr. SAMUELIs not that question implicit in the question which I have put, which asked if the right hon. Gentleman would draw the attention of the trustees to the fact that they have a number of pictures which they cannot or do not exhibit, either in provincial or London galleries, and that they should be exhibited somewhere, if indeed only in Government offices?
§ Mr. LANSBURYI would inform the hon. Gentleman that in the judgment of my Department and myself we have sufficient of these pictures, especially in view of the fact, that the Duke of Leeds and others have also put at our disposal pictures for this purpose. We cannot, as it were, wallpaper the rooms with them.
§ Mr. MILLSIs my right hon. Friend aware that during the flooding of the Thames in the last two years paintings to the value of several hundred thousand pounds were totally destroyed in the cellars of the Tate Gallery?