European reports

Magazine Antiques, May, 2004 by Miriam Kramer

In the middle of March two reports were published on complementary subjects. The first, entitled Art Market Matters, was produced by the European Fine Art Foundation (TEFAF) and contains a number of essays edited by Anthony Browne, The theme of the booklet is the art market's place in the context of the visual arts. Among the contributors is John Henry Merryman of Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, whose essay about the legal trade in international cultural objects is a landmark in clarifying this sometimes emotional issue. The critic Richard Dorment argues for the healthy interdependence of dealers and scholars, and Frederik J. Duparc, the director of the Royal Cabinet of Paintings at the Mauritshuis in The Hague, makes the point, from personal experience, that cooperation between the two can be mutually beneficial. The report can be ordered from TEFAF by telephoning 31-41 1-64-50-90.

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The second report, A Manifesto for Museums: Building Outstanding Museums for the 21st Century, was published in London. In it the professional associations representing more than two thousand institutions in Britain called for a five-year program of investment to sustain their current successes and to build for the future. According to the manifesto, [pounds sterling]115 million is needed each year, in particular to continue the work done under the "Renaissance in the Regions" initiative, which began two years ago. Nicholas Serota, the director of the Tate, commented that seventeen million people, one-third of them children, visit United Kingdom museums each year. He explained that education and outreach programs are vitally important and that the increased funding would reap benefits not only by those directly affected but also by the communities in which museums are located. The report may be obtained by going to the National Museum Directors' Conference Web site (http://nationalmuseums.org.uk/images/publications/manifesto_for_museums.pdf).