Lucy Frazer defends Government funding of London museums as she hails re-opening of National Portrait Gallery
The gallery closed for three years for a £41.3 million revamp
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer
/ PA Wireulture Secretary Lucy Frazer has defended the Government’s funding of London’s museums amid a row that the capital is being levelled down to support levelling up elsewhere.
She said the capital’s museums and galleries, including the newly re-opened National Portrait Gallery, were “home to the some of the nation’s and world’s greatest artistic heritage”.
Ms Frazer said the gallery, which closed for three years for a £41.3 million revamp, would now be able to “play its part in London’s status as a global cultural capital”.
She added: “Alongside the investment for these improvements at the National Portrait Gallery, the government is supporting museums across the capital and the country with an extended tax relief that has paid out £43 million to eligible institutions since it was introduced, supporting almost 4,000 exhibitions.
“On top of that, the government invests more than a quarter of a billion into museums across the capital annually. London also benefits from entry to many of their world class museums being free to visitors - opening up their learning and offering experiences to young and old, rich and poor alike.”
Her comments come after London Mayor Sadiq Khan claimed the Government is “pulling the curtain down” on the capital’s creative industries.
His warning followed a City Hall report that said 25 per cent of London’s arts organisations could lose funding and 10 per cent could leave the city altogether.
City Hall’s report said Arts Council England, which is an arms-length body of DCMS, is “implementing a significant and potentially damaging restructuring” of its portfolio of London-based organisations.
The organisation seen as losing out the most is English National Opera which has been told to leave its West End base and move out of London or lose funding.