BRITAIN’S ART COLLECTIONS

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27533, 15 December 1954, Page 12

BRITAIN’S ART COLLECTIONS

Precautions Against Atomic War

DISPERSAL IN EMPIRE SUGGESTED

(Ne(v Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, December 14. The possible wholesale destruction of priceless works of art if London was involved in an atomic • war has prompted the Art Galleries and Museums Association of New Zealand to urge the dispersal throughout the Commonwealth of reserve collections stored in Britain.

An outline of the scheme, which has the support of the Prime Minister (Mr Holland), was given by the association’s president, Mr Eric Westbrook, of Auckland, in a letter published in “The Times,” London. Mr Westbrook said today that the report to the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury of the Standing Committee on Museums and Galleries had reached New Zealand. The account of the overcrowded state of many national collections and the actual or threatened deterioration of their material had deeply disturbed scholars, museum officials, artists, and others m New Zealand. bugh we are geographically at 1^ point of the Commonwealth, we regard the treasures of the national collections in Britain as part of our own cultural heritage, and the prospect of their decay concerns us as much as it does our counterparts m the home country,” said Mr Westbrook; But slow deterioration, apBSI! ng + uo S U 1S ’ ? s l ess lightening P ros _P ec t of instantaneous and wholesale destruction in the event of future hostilities.” An international agreement was being sought through UNESCO for the protection of cultural material in the time of war, but it was felt this did not go far enough, he said. At the beginning of the Second World War, the great public collections had been moved from London to places i n ,, ot h er Parts of Britain, but the vastly increased destructive power of modern weapons and the w hich events would move in another war made similar precautions less practical. In addition, few parts of Britain would be entirely free from danger. s J oc j a J io^’ S x recent conference o? ‘i at l he Governments °f the United Kingdom and of the other Commonwealth countries should evolve jointly a plan for distributing the reserve collections on loan to sister institutions throughout the Commonwealth, said Mr Westbrook The discussions should take place as soon as possible.