§ Mr. Frank FieldTo ask the Minister for the Arts how much Sothebys paid the Victoria and Albert museum for the preview they staged on the sale of the possessions of Elton John.
§ Mr. LuceThe recent exhibition of part of the collection of Elton John was staged at the Victoria and Albert museum with the support of Sothebys. The cost of setting up the exhibition was met by Sothebys.
The museum's purpose in exhibiting the collection was to reach a new audience, a sector of the public who may 370W not traditionally visit museums. I understand that visitor numbers to the museums more than doubled during the period of the exhibition.