Neil
MacGregor (Glasgow, 1946), director of the British Museum, popularizer radio and
one of the most admired intellectual authorities in the UK, came to Madrid to
celebrate more than the loan exhibition of drawings The Spanish stroke in the
British Museum. Renaissance Drawings Goya. "This
year marks half a century of the first time I visited the Prado. I
remember it well, went with my parents, and I refused to go out to eat ...
Wanted to continue
seeing more rooms ". Then,
MacGregor was a Scottish guy just a curious idea of artistic taste: "I grew up
in Glasgow, next to the home of refined Stirling Maxwell, who was one of the
largest collections of Spanish art. And
when he was eight, the city bought Christ of Saint John of the Cross, Dali.
So
at such a tender age thought that Spanish art collectors and collected them when
cities bought, also were favored by their country. "
That
boy became museum director, first in the National Gallery and from 2002 of the
British institution that aspires to contain the world from antiquity to the
present day. She
also made radio history a BBC program (which became a book, published by Debate)
in which two million years of humanity were explained in 100 objects.
On
the challenges that lie ahead for museums chatted with the country in the
modern, sunny and peaceful cloister extending the Prado, a metaphor for how much
they have changed in this half century galleries. "They've changed, yes, but
the tables, not".
It is
important not to be dependent on the private or the public
Show the past in the future.
"They
are still the places to understand the world in retrospect. In
the Prado you realize that the history of Europe is a single, culturally and
politically. We
struggle lately for building a single European history when a story we've been
building for centuries. The museums will allow us to
understand the world. Obviously,
the British is different, because it brings together objects of all
civilizations. But
it throws the same message: the world has always been connected.
"
Free tickets for
all?? "The
tradition in Britain is that the museums are free, because that was the mandate
of Parliament that created in the eighteenth century. They
settled at no cost to British and foreign citizens. If
you want people to understand the world you must make accessible and free entry.
A
museum is a public space of the mind and spirit that all citizens have the right
to live ".
Surviving the
cuts. "As
in Spain, the institutions of Britain suffer cuts in public allocation.
We
fought using private money, making use of the store sales and sponsors, whether
businesses or individual citizens. And
then share our collection with the rest of the world, as I think you are doing
with much discretion the Prado. On
every continent right now you can see pictures of the gallery in Madrid.
That,
plus reaffirm that these treasures belong to the world, it also means that
recipients of these collections support the museum's finances.
"
"To achieve
the perfect balance no formula. The
British tradition has always been a mix between public and private. Half and half. I think that's a good percentage.
The
State guarantees the continuity and security of the collection and businesses,
individuals and foreign museums help in other ways. The formula is
difficult, but clear: lots of hard work. It
can be a complex issue, but remember to museums who your audience is and how
they should be addressed to him. It
is important not to be totally dependent on the private or the public, you need
to have independence when telling a story academically true
".
The
pieces that were legally acquired there is no need to return
them
Who does
cultural diplomacy? "Depends what you mean by
that concept. I do not believe in
museums as a weapon of the state. Because the pieces do not belong.
Now,
when you travel to the works create a dialogue, a debate with people.
Lately we are
paying much more to China and India. They
have never had the opportunity to see the pieces of ancient Egypt, for example.
With
them, we allow these countries to enter and interact with the story of our time,
which is a global history. It
is a form of communication, but should not be a subterfuge to employ Velázquez
in the interest of a country or of another. "
Spoliation or property? Legitimate?
"Do
not believe in the return of the parts if they were properly acquired.
And
we know it was not always that way: there was a lot of looting in World War II.
Things have
not improved much in the last 30 or 40 years. But
if the objects were obtained legally, as with the Parthenon, do not understand
why would they return them. The
same is true Flemish Paintings of the Prado, why should they be returned?
Here are accessible
to everyone. The
great challenge is to fight against illegal excavations and be able to share
these treasures with the world. These
jewels do not belong to Paris, Berlin or Madrid, but that these cities should
share. Religions
divide, museums are world citizens ".
Challenges. "The danger
for the future of museums is nationalism. The
very existence of art collections is a denial of nationalism, because they
provide a vision of humanity as a whole. Perhaps
more important today than ever, when we see the dangers of division worldwide.
These
collections teach us to share. "
Is there a limit to the
number of visitors? "It's a great
dilemma. We have six
million. There is a limit,
undoubtedly. We
must be able to accommodate that demand our buildings. And
then we return to the idea of the museum traveler, if visitors can not come
here, we can send them the pieces. We
must also work to make the collections accessible to all, on the web and on
smartphones. And
what the mobile is to make the collection accessible to all uses. "