Q is for Queen (as in her 'art stash'!!)

Q is for Queen

This image which is one of the most wonderful things in this world belongs to QUEEN Elisabeth 2.  It is housed in her "Royal Art Collection".    But  — why?.... I mean really why?……………….. by virtue of the privilege of her birth.?  

Aristocracy and royalty most certainly are not forms of government that I believe in. Democracy is given as the form of government within which UK citizens live, however it often feels as though we are instead, subject to an Oligarchy.  Getting back to this vast collection of artworks, consider this:- these artworks have been accumulated over a period of many hundreds of years, and that this has been achieved largely through the royal families 'position of authority' i.e., by virtue of their 'privilege'.  Ordinary people were only 'allowed' to vote (a voice) from the turn of the 20th century as until that time they were 'kept in their place'.  

Therefore:

 I hereby decree that all artworks housed within "The Royal Collection" shall be the property of the general public.  There is not to be any admission charge as the visitors are in effect the owners of the artworks.  These works are there to be viewed and studied and treated with due care and respect.   Items from the collection are not to be sold other than if there is a danger of famine or an incidence that might be described as a severe emergency to the common  wo/man.  Even then only the frivolous decorative artworks are the pieces that shall be sold, in order that the aforementioned citizens may eat cake.

Leonardo da Vinci's sketches of a foetus in the womb, made between 1510 and 1513.
Credit: The Royal Collection (c) 2012, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

I believe admission to go view the Royal Collection will probably cost around £15.00 and will need to be reserved in advance.  However there is a lot to see, about just over  500,000 works in total, so you might take your house slippers along with you so that do not exit the building in an ambulance with your feet frazzled after the effort required to make a good initial viewing of the collection.

Of course you will have realised very quickly that I have treated Leo's wonderful drawing as a printmaking project in the sense that I have reduced it almost to a monochrome image.  I have only done this so that one can really appreciate his sophisticated and fluid mark-making.


https://www.rct.uk