With a General Election looming in the UK on 4 July, the art and culture sector will be closely watching to see how the main political parties in the UK will address a wide range of issues, from the role of art in the school curriculum to maintaining free entry at national museums. We asked a range of art world figures to respond to three key questions.
Charles Saumarez Smith, the former secretary and chief executive of the Royal Academy of Arts
TAN: Why is the General Election important for the UK culture sector?
It’s hard to see the past 14 years of Conservative government as anything other than depressing for the arts. We have seen the reduction in art teaching in schools; the loss of funding for local museums; Brexit has been bad for the art market. But assuming that Labour wins the election, they will not find any of these at all straightforward to reverse because of the state of the public finances. A change in attitude would be beneficial, particularly recognising the importance of art and creativity, especially in schools.
Do you know yet which party you’ll support? Why?
My…
