Wallace Collection founder would be ‘sad’ at closed policy, says Director

The founder of the Wallace Collection would be ‘sad’ to see his works closed in the museum and not lent out, the museum’s Director has said.

Xavier Bray said he would consider a less strict interpretation of the bequest which gifted Sir Richard Wallace’s collection to the nation.

It contains a passage saying the works “shall be kept together unmixed with other objects of art”, which is currently read literally to mean that no works can leave the museum, even on loan.

“I think Richard Wallace was a great philanthropist, very generous, always willing to help others with money or art”, said Mr Bray.

“I think he would be sad that the collection has been closed in in this way.

He said he believed that “unmixed” in fact means “you can’t add a David Bowie collection”.

The gallery on Manchester Square, London, opened in 1900 and is formed mostly from the private collection of Richard Seymour-Conway, the fourth Marquess of Hertford, and his secretary Sir Richard Wallace, believed to have been the Marquess’s illegitimate son.

After Sir Richard’s death, his widow gave the collection to the nation.

The strict policy on loans has made it difficult for the museum to host new exhibitions, as usually works must be lent in order to borrow others.

Mr Bray, who became the gallery’s director in 2016, said there are several barriers standing in the way of loaning works.

“The scary thing is as soon as you open it up you will get a barrage of requests and we might not be able to deal with it and we will haemorrhage art.

“We would have to have very strict conditions, saying a work could only travel once every ten years or something.

“It’s a balancing act but it is definitely up for debate.”

Art experts have criticised the strict interpretation of the bequest.

BBC critic Bendor Grosvenor said the current reading left the gallery “fighting with one hand tied behind their back”.

“It's always been interpreted as they can’t lend stuff”, said Mr Grosvenor.

“It’s evidently not what Sir Richard wanted, he was an avid lender and he was keen to get his stuff out on the road.

“It’s totally different if they wanted to sell it, but this would be just lending and therefore being able to borrow.”