BBC invented excuse to buy Emin sculpture

[Teddy Bear]

BBC invented excuse to buy Emin sculpture
Peter Munro

THE BBC was embarrassed last night by e-mails that showed it “invented” a justification for spending £60,000 of licence payers’ money commissioning a Tracey Emin sculpture.
Emin’s Roman Standard sculpture of a bird on a post was bought by the BBC at a time when Mark Thompson, its director-general, was announcing big cost cuts.



Internal e-mails revealed serious doubts within the organisation about spending so much on a sculpture that had no links to the corporation.

An e-mail dated February 22 from senior BBC publicist Janet Morrow to Vanda Rumney, head of communications, gave warning that the commission could create a “sticky situation on the public art front which could blow up”.

Morrow noted that the sculpture “is not connected to a BBC building, nor is it linked in any way to a BBC broadcast or BBC activity — the BBC has purely used licence fee money to create a public sculpture”.

She then said she had “invented” a “plausible line” to justify the commission. Her line, that the BBC should claim it had a long history of commissioning visual art, was later adopted by Alan Yentob, the BBC’s creative director.

The e-mails also reveal the BBC was nervous about admitting that it had spent £60,000 on the sculpture. Morrow admits that she initially had to “fudge” questions about the cost.

She adds: “We could be pressed about exactly how much it cost and why it’s appropriate for the BBC to spend licence fee money in this way, especially at a time of supposed cost-cutting. Hmmm . . .”

Emin was surprised by the revelations last night. “The BBC told me they were very, very happy with the commission. Roman Standard is very low-cost considering the time and effort it took. I think the BBC should have spent £300,000 on it. They got a bargain as far as I’m concerned.”

Her work, which was unveiled in February, stands outside Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral.

It was commissioned by the BBC to mark the city’s role as the European City of Culture.

Why doesn't this story surprise me?


Actually there is a link to the BBC of this sculpture
Bird Brained Corruption

[indikit]

The BBC's justification for funding Emin would have been the same mantra you hear daily when they're handing out license payers cash like it's going out of fashion:

"One of us, one of us, one of us..."