U.K. Blocks Export Of Record-Breaking Howard Hodgkin Painting

(MENAFN- USA Art News) $1 UK Moves to Block Export of Howard Hodgkin’s“Mrs Acton in Delhi” as Officials Seek a Domestic Buyer A Howard Hodgkin painting that recently set a new auction record is now at the center of a familiar British cultural-policy drama: the state has paused its export while it looks for a buyer at home. British authorities have deferred an export license for“Mrs Acton in Delhi” by British painter Howard Hodgkin (1932–2017), after determining that the work meets two of the three Waverley criteria used to assess whether an artwork should be treated as a national treasure. In official materials, the painting was cited for its aesthetic importance and its“outstanding significance to the study of modern British painting.” The decision triggers a temporary export bar designed to give UK institutions or eligible domestic collectors time to match a recommended purchase price and keep the work publicly accessible in Britain. The deferral currently runs until June 4. After that date, the owner will have 15 days to consider any offers made at the recommended price of £1.7 million ($2.3 million). A representative for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport declined to say whether any prospective buyers have emerged so far. A second deferral period is expected to follow if an Option Agreement is signed, extending the window by another four months. Interested, eligible buyers have been directed to contact the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA), the body involved in the process. RCEWA committee member Mark Hallett underscored the committee’s view of the painting’s importance in a statement, saying it“cries out to be kept for the nation.” The work’s backstory is closely tied to Hodgkin’s long fascination with India. Hodgkin began making“Mrs Acton in Delhi” three years after his first visit to the country, a place that, according to press materials, held his imagination from childhood through the end of his life. The painting’s market history is relatively spare. Prior to last fall, it had changed hands only twice: first from Kasmin Gallery to the J. Walter Thompson Collection, and later from that collection to the consignor who brought it to auction. Bonhams did not respond to a request for comment about where the new owner is based. At some point after the sale, the buyer applied for an export license, prompting the current deferral. The stated aim of the process is to“ensure this culturally important work remains accessible to the public,” a rationale that has long shaped the UK’s approach to keeping key works within national reach. Whether“Mrs Acton in Delhi” ultimately stays in Britain will depend on whether a domestic buyer can meet the recommended price within the deferral timetable - and whether the owner chooses to accept an offer once the first window closes in early June.

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