Day: June 1, 2018

Arts Minister Michael Ellis has placed a temporary export bar on ‘A Pair of Champagne Standard Lamps’ by Salvador Dalí and Edward James to provide an opportunity to keep them in the country.

The lamps are at risk of being exported from the UK unless a buyer can be found to match the asking price of £425,000 + £15,000 VAT.

They are a collaboration between Dalí, one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, and Edward James, Dalí’s patron and a keen promoter of the Surrealist movement. In the view of the Committee, the lamps were arguably the most original and important examples of modern lighting designed in the UK.

The pair are one of two designed for Monkton House, Sussex, which was built in 1902 – 03 for James’ parents and designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. It was home to the most important and influential Surrealist interior ever created in Britain.

One pair of lamps were made to flank the marble fireplace in the dining room at Monkton and would have stood adjacent to the Mae West Lips sofa, recently acquired by the V&A after a temporary export deferral was placed in November 2017.

The other pair of lamps is still owned by the Edward James Foundation.

Arts Minister Michael Ellis said:

Salvador Dalí is one of the great artistic pioneers of the 20th century. These lamps were created in the UK by Dalí and it is important that we keep them here.

I was delighted that the V&A was able to acquire the Mae West Lips sofa and I hope that we are able to find a buyer for the lamps so that they too can be saved for the nation.

The decision to defer the export licence follows a recommendation by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA), administered by The Arts Council.

RCEWA member Richard Calvocoressi said:

The lamps are everything one would expect of Dalí. Witty, erotic – the champagne cups can be read as female breasts – the lamps are also strikingly sculptural, standing about the height of a person, with the line of vertical cups resembling a spinal column: a brilliant example of fantasy lighting.

The RCEWA made its recommendation on the grounds of the lamps’ close connection with our history and national life, their outstanding aesthetic importance and their significance for the study of furniture history, as well as the history of design and Surrealist art.

The decision on the export licence application for the lamps will be deferred until 31 August. This may be extended until 30 November if a serious intention to raise funds to purchase them is made at the recommended price of £425,000 + £15,000 VAT.

Organisations or individuals interested in purchasing the lamps should contact the RCEWA on 0845 300 6200.

An image of the lamps can be downloaded via our Flickr site.

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. Details of the lamps are as follows:
   Salvador Dalí (1904-1989) and Edward James (1907-1984)
   A pair of Champagne standard lamps
   modelled as stacked champagne glasses with tray bases decorated with ivy, some ‘glasses’ with removable half-section inserts
   gold-painted and lacquered brass
   Height: 63 in. (160 cm.)
2. Provenance:
   Made for Edward James by Green & Abbott in 1938.
   At Monkton House, West Dean Estate, West Sussex, until 1986, and then moved to West Dean House, West Sussex.
   The Edward James Foundation, West Dean, West Sussex.
3. The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest is an independent body, serviced by The Arts Council, which advises the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on whether a cultural object, intended for export, is of national importance under specified criteria.
4. The Arts Council champions, develops and invests in artistic and cultural experiences that enrich people’s lives. It supports a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to digital art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. www.artscouncil.org.uk.

• Guidance published today is the first step in delivering new Secure Schools – part of our commitment to reform youth custody
• New specialist schools will put tailored education and healthcare at the heart of youth justice
• Specialist leaders and their staff will be given flexibility to shape the curriculum to address offending behaviour and support rehabilitation

Minister Dr Phillip Lee has today outlined the next steps in the Ministry of Justice’s pioneering vision for Secure Schools.

As part of the Department’s promise to put education at the heart of youth custody, it has today (1 June 2018) published guidance setting out the expectations and requirements for prospective Secure School providers.

This is the first step in delivering on the commitment to build new Secure Schools and has been developed in close partnership with charities, trusts and partners who specialise in working with children and young people.

This innovative approach to education in a secure environment will combine the ethos and best practice of schools with the structure and support of secure children’s homes.

For the first-time ever – educators will be given the independence to run unique custodial establishments, shaping their own tailored curriculum with greater flexibility and control of their custodial environment.

Secure Schools will have up to 70 places, and will be run by not for profit child-focused and creative providers who will put education, healthcare and purposeful activity at the heart of their work to rehabilitate young offenders.

Today’s announcement will enable potential Secure Schools providers to start preparing applications in anticipation of the opening of a formal application window later in the year.

Justice Minister Dr Phillip Lee said:

Good education in and out of the classroom is the key to unlocking a secure and stable future for young people and I am determined to drive forward our comprehensive reforms so that young people are equipped with the skills to live successful, crime-free lives on release.

Physical activity is key to a productive day in custody and I want education to be at the heart of the core day with children in Secure Schools engaging with health and education services that are tailored to meet their individual needs.

Secure Schools will focus on the root cause of offending, by intervening early to help break the cycle of reoffending – making our streets safer and diverting young people away from a life of crime.

The number of young people in custody has fallen significantly, from around 3,000 in 2010 to approximately 1,000 today, but those who remain in the system have challenging and complex needs and have often been deprived of their chance at education. Secure Schools will demand and deliver ambitious standards for all young people, engaging them fully in education and physical activity, to divert them away from their criminal past.

There have been challenges across the youth estate with unacceptable levels of violence. But there are early signs that standards are improving, with recent inspectorate reports on Feltham and Werrington YOIs praising the significant improvements in safety and child protection. Secure Schools aim to build on this and set the standards and direction for future youth custodial provision.

Secure Schools are just one of the many areas of reform being driven forward by the government, with the Justice Secretary recently launching a new Education and Employment Strategy to set prisoners on a path to employment from the day they arrive in custody. This impacts across the estate and Secure Schools will form a key part of embedding education at the core of youth custody.

Notes to editors

• Secure Schools will accommodate both girls and boys between the age of 12 and 17
• The government is developing a specific inspection regime to robustly monitor the performance of Secure schools
• Secure Schools will be run by secure school academy trusts and will be governed and run under the same legislation as children’s homes and academies
• The government will also host an engagement event this summer to invite potential providers to learn more about the project.