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QE2 Artifacts

Seachase20

By Seachase20,
in Cunard Line

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Seachase20

Seachase20

Posted
Posted

From the Daily Telegraph, June 2, 2008:

 

Battle to block QE2 art export to Dubai

By Andrew Pierce

Last Updated: 12:01am BST 02/06/2008

 

Have your say Read comments

 

Government lawyers are to examine whether they can block the export of works of art on board the QE2 before it is sold to Dubai later this year.

 

The disclosure comes as the Queen travels to Southampton on Monday for a last visit to the Cunard liner, the grand dame of the seas, which she named and launched in September 1967.

 

The liner, synonymous with old-world British style and tradition, has been sold complete with its vast hoard of royal memorabilia to the oil-rich state of Dubai, where it will be a floating five-star hotel and exhibition centre.

 

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Among the prized paintings on board are a portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother painted by Sir Oswald Birley and one by Edward Halliday of Princess Elizabeth shortly after her marriage to the Duke of Edinburgh. The QE2 also has 18 separate works of art by Graham Sutherland, who died in 1980.

 

Campaigners from the QE2 Consortium, which was set up to try to keep the ship in Britain, are now seeking to block the sale of the contents.

 

They have written to ministers arguing that some of the contents are of "national and historic importance" and should be covered by individual export licences.

 

Terry Yarwood, the chairman of the QE2 Consortium, said: "The liner is a national treasure and there are many more national treasures on board. Some of the historic material dates back to the company's origins in 1840. "It will be an outrage not just that the ship is sold but these wonderful treasures will be lost to the nation, too."

 

One of the criteria for a licence is that the works of art have to have been in Britain for 50 years or more.

 

But because the liner has spent most of its 41-year life at sea, even objects dating back to 1840 are disqualified under the 50-year rule.

 

Lord Inglewood, who chairs the Government's reviewing committee on the export of works of arts and objects, said he was seeking legal advice.

 

He said many of the paintings and artefacts would not be of significant cultural interest to warrant their export being blocked. "But I have decided to seek legal advice on this situation as there is this fundamental problem if they wish to bring the contents within the scope of the export procedure."

 

On Monday, the Queen will be shown round the liner, which has sailed more than six million miles – further than any other vessel – and served as a troop ship during the Falklands war in 1982.

 

Carol Marlow, the president and managing director of Cunard Line, said: "The ship is sold with all her memorabilia and artefacts intact. We ensured all the legal paperwork was in place as the QE2 is a museum in its own right."

 

The new owners are not legally required to preserve the interior but Miss Marlow said: "The intention is that the ship and her memorabilia will be kept intact when it goes to Dubai."

 

The ship was sold last year to Dubai World, which belongs to the Dubai royal family and the Dubai government, for £50 million as a hotel, museum, retail and entertainment centre at a specially-built pier at the Palm Jumeirah luxury resort.

 

The QE2, the longest serving ship in Cunard's 168-year history, will leave Southampton for the last time in October.

 

Have your say

End Quote.

**********************************************************************************************************

I cannot believe that Carnival will sell the QE2 intact, with all her artifacts included. So many things, the Queen Mary piano comes to mind, and so many others, should surely be preserved, either in a museum in Southampton, for instance, or onboard other Cunard ships (surely the Queen Mary Piano could find a home on QM2?) And I understand that a great many things in the Wardroom belong not to Carnival, but to the Officers, to whom they were presented. Surely something can be done. How do you all feel about this?

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nitwit

nitwit

Posted
Posted
From the Daily Telegraph, June 2, 2008:

 

Battle to block QE2 art export to Dubai

By Andrew Pierce

Last Updated: 12:01am BST 02/06/2008

 

Have your say Read comments

 

Government lawyers are to examine whether they can block the export of works of art on board the QE2 before it is sold to Dubai later this year.

 

The disclosure comes as the Queen travels to Southampton on Monday for a last visit to the Cunard liner, the grand dame of the seas, which she named and launched in September 1967.

 

The liner, synonymous with old-world British style and tradition, has been sold complete with its vast hoard of royal memorabilia to the oil-rich state of Dubai, where it will be a floating five-star hotel and exhibition centre.

 

advertisement

 

Among the prized paintings on board are a portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother painted by Sir Oswald Birley and one by Edward Halliday of Princess Elizabeth shortly after her marriage to the Duke of Edinburgh. The QE2 also has 18 separate works of art by Graham Sutherland, who died in 1980.

 

Campaigners from the QE2 Consortium, which was set up to try to keep the ship in Britain, are now seeking to block the sale of the contents.

 

They have written to ministers arguing that some of the contents are of "national and historic importance" and should be covered by individual export licences.

 

Terry Yarwood, the chairman of the QE2 Consortium, said: "The liner is a national treasure and there are many more national treasures on board. Some of the historic material dates back to the company's origins in 1840. "It will be an outrage not just that the ship is sold but these wonderful treasures will be lost to the nation, too."

 

One of the criteria for a licence is that the works of art have to have been in Britain for 50 years or more.

 

But because the liner has spent most of its 41-year life at sea, even objects dating back to 1840 are disqualified under the 50-year rule.

 

Lord Inglewood, who chairs the Government's reviewing committee on the export of works of arts and objects, said he was seeking legal advice.

 

He said many of the paintings and artefacts would not be of significant cultural interest to warrant their export being blocked. "But I have decided to seek legal advice on this situation as there is this fundamental problem if they wish to bring the contents within the scope of the export procedure."

 

On Monday, the Queen will be shown round the liner, which has sailed more than six million miles – further than any other vessel – and served as a troop ship during the Falklands war in 1982.

 

Carol Marlow, the president and managing director of Cunard Line, said: "The ship is sold with all her memorabilia and artefacts intact. We ensured all the legal paperwork was in place as the QE2 is a museum in its own right."

 

The new owners are not legally required to preserve the interior but Miss Marlow said: "The intention is that the ship and her memorabilia will be kept intact when it goes to Dubai."

 

The ship was sold last year to Dubai World, which belongs to the Dubai royal family and the Dubai government, for £50 million as a hotel, museum, retail and entertainment centre at a specially-built pier at the Palm Jumeirah luxury resort.

 

The QE2, the longest serving ship in Cunard's 168-year history, will leave Southampton for the last time in October.

 

Have your say

End Quote.

**********************************************************************************************************

I cannot believe that Carnival will sell the QE2 intact, with all her artifacts included. So many things, the Queen Mary piano comes to mind, and so many others, should surely be preserved, either in a museum in Southampton, for instance, or onboard other Cunard ships (surely the Queen Mary Piano could find a home on QM2?) And I understand that a great many things in the Wardroom belong not to Carnival, but to the Officers, to whom they were presented. Surely something can be done. How do you all feel about this?

 

 

To be honest, we're going over old ground here. Nobody wants to see this stuff go but if it belongs to The Carnival Corp there's nothing to be done.

It's business. If I sold my company and all the contents and somebody didn't like it i'd laugh at them because it has absolutely nothing to do with them. This is the same. It's a private company and they will do what they will. As for the QM piano, I'm just pleased I got to play it, and will do so again in 12 days time:) .

Regards, glenn.

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cruisegal101

cruisegal101

Posted
Posted
I've seen a number of passengers play the piano, including a small German boy who asked the Cunard pianist if he could play - and was allowed to. Very well too....

 

As well as the passenger who played "Nearer my God to Thee" late one night.....

 

Was there a sing-along as well?;)

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nitwit

nitwit

Posted
Posted
I've seen a number of passengers play the piano, including a small German boy who asked the Cunard pianist if he could play - and was allowed to. Very well too....

 

As well as the passenger who played "Nearer my God to Thee" late one night.....

 

 

The harpist let me have a go on his harp as well. Seriously!

Glenn.

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