Interview with a former curator
Alastair Laing, former Curator of Pictures and Sculpture at the National Trust, was interviewed by Dr Annette de Vries for Codart in 2013.
Alastair spoke about how the National Trust's care for the art collections in its circa 120 country houses, which is second only to the Royal Collection in number and quality, developed over the twentieth century.
During Mr Laing's career of 27 years at the National Trust he advised the regional curators, known as Historic Building Representatives, on the hanging and rehanging of pictures, on acquisitions and lending, on conservation, cleaning and restoration, as well as cataloguing pictures and writing summaries for guidebooks. The strategy of ‘Going Local’ launched in 2010 and the de-centralization of responsibilities that came with it resulted, he says, in a deterioration of the specialized knowledge and experience which is central to the curatorial responsibility for works of art.
In historic houses paintings are not only works of art, but also part of the historic interior. Decisions about hanging have to be made not only for aesthetic reasons, but also need to be historically correct. Various concerns have to be balanced when opening an historic house to the public. In the past there used to be ropes and barriers to keep the public at a safe distance from fragile pieces. Since barriers have increasingly disappeared, the public has been able to study works of art close up, but there has been an increased risk of damage to furniture and carpets. On the other hand, both barriers and the absence of small things can distort the feeling of authenticity when visiting a historic room. The lighting of rooms is another thorny issue, how to illuminate pictures without damaging light-sensitive materials.
During Mr Laing's career many changes took place in the National Trust. The organization doubled in size and its headquarters were moved from London to Swindon in Wiltshire. Conservators were separated from curators. Curators have become less influential in decision-making.
The emphasis on accessibility has had both positive and negative consequences. ‘It is wonderful to have people enjoy historic houses and gardens, but it should happen in a way that highlights the qualities of the houses and the collections.’ The National Trust has also increasingly become a campaigning organization, focussed on fundraising.
Regarding his hopes for the future, he says:
‘I hope that the National Trust will to some extent return to celebrating the historic houses and their collections for what they are.
The present need always ‘to tell stories’ somehow diminishes the emphasis on the houses, their inhabitants and the collections for their own sake.
Our wonderful houses are exciting enough as they are, we don’t have to make them exciting artificially.’