The high profile fundraising campaign #loveitdeerly begun only a month ago has been successful in securing the Monarch of the Glen by Sir Edwin Landseer for the nation. The iconic painting will now remain in Scotland, as The National Galleries of Scotland (NGS) has raised the £4 million required to pay for it.
There has been funding support from members of the public, private trusts, The National Lottery, Art Fund, Scottish Government grant funding as well as a gift of part of the value of the painting by Diageo Scotland Ltd who have owned the magnificent work till now.
It was only last month on a cold night that we met with Sir John Leighton outside the gallery when he told us he was confident that the funding would be found.
We had a word with Sir John Leighton about the fundraising for The Monarch of the Glen #loveitdeerly pic.twitter.com/yhjmSoGOWv
— Edinburgh Reporter (@EdinReporter) 16 February 2017
The painting will now tour the country with funding from The National Lottery and The Scottish Government, ensuring that as many Scots as possible get the chance to see it on their own doorstep.
Sir John Leighton, Director-General of the National Galleries of Scotland said: “We are thrilled that we have been able to secure this iconic work for the national collection. The enormous support from the public has been incredible with donations coming from all over the world and from the length and breadth of Scotland and the rest of the UK. Thank you so much to everyone who has donated. Your gift has helped to ensure that this magnificent work will be enjoyed by millions of people for generations to come.”
Dame Seona Reid, Heritage Lottery Fund Trustee and Chair of HLF’s Scotland Committee, said: “Landseer’s Monarch of the Glen portrays a quintessentially Scottish scene but has a global reach. With the help of National Lottery players from across the UK, we are pleased to play a major role in securing it a permanent home at the National Galleries of Scotland.
“The public’s affection for Monarch of the Glen has been reflected in the success of the recent fundraising campaign. Everyone involved should feel proud of the role they are playing in safeguarding and sharing this fine and popular painting.”
Dr Stephen Deuchar, Art Fund director, said: “Many congratulations to the National Galleries Scotland for successfully securing this truly iconic painting. The success of the public appeal is proof of its contemporary appeal, and its acquisition by the Galleries will open up many new opportunities for its display, interpretation and enjoyment by a wide public. We’re very pleased to have played a part in securing this important work for Scotland. Many thanks to our members across the U.K. for their magnificent, ongoing support.”
David Cutter, Diageo’s senior director in Scotland and President of Global Supply & Procurement, said: “We are very happy to have partnered with the National Galleries of Scotland and to see the positive outcome of that with the Monarch of the Glen passing into permanent public ownership in Scotland for the first time in its history.”
Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, said: “I am delighted that National Galleries Scotland has secured the funding required to ensure the iconic Monarch of the Glen can remain on permanent public display in Scotland.
“The overwhelmingly positive response to the public fundraising campaign underlines the importance of the painting to people in Scotland and around the world. I am pleased the Scottish Government was able to provide £100,000 towards its acquisition and a further £75,000 for a tour that will enable communities across Scotland to see it. I look forward to seeing the Monarch of the Glen continue to attract visitors from far and wide in the years to come.”
It was only in November 2016 that the imminent sale of the painting by Diageo came to public notice. They offered NGS the chance to acquire the work for £4 million and since then a worldwide fundraising campaign was successful in raising the necessary funding.
Donations have come from far and wide from Anchorage to Thurso and Bath.
The painting will be hung in the Scottish National Gallery and details of the tour will be announced later in the year.
This iconic work has been reproduced many times since it was produced in the mid 19th century, and the gallery is sure that it will now become one of the key attractions at the Scottish National Gallery.
You can see the painting from today in the gallery. Turn right when you enter the front door and you really cannot miss it at the end of that space – it is huge!
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
