British gov't studies block of QE2 art to Dubai

British government lawyers are examining whether they can block the export of works of art on board the QE2 ocean liner before it is sent to Dubai to become a hotel on the Palm Jumeirah.

Lord Inglewood, who chairs the British government's reviewing committee on the export of works of arts and objects, said he was seeking legal advice on the issue after an activist campaign to prevent the art works being exported, British newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported on Monday.

"I have decided to seek legal advice on this situation as there is this fundamental problem if (the campaigners) wish to bring the contents within the scope of the export procedure," said Lord Inglewood, adding that many of the paintings and artefacts would not be of significant cultural interest to warrant their export being blocked.

Istithmar, the investment arm of the state-owned conglomerate Dubai World, in June last year purchased the ship for $100 million, which it intends to transform it into a "first class tourism destination" to be anchored at the palm-shaped islands off the coast of Dubai.

Campaigners from the QE2 Consortium, which was set up to try to keep the ship in the UK, are seeking to block the sale of the contents, and have written to ministers arguing that some of the contents are of "national and historic importance" and should be covered by individual export licences.

"The liner is a national treasure and there are many more national treasures on board," said Terry Yarwood, the chairman of the QE2 Consortium.

"Some of the historic material dates back to the company's origins in 1840. It will be an outrage not just that the ship is sold but these wonderful treasures will be lost to the nation, too."

One of the criteria for a licence is that the works of art have to have been in Britain for 50 years or more, but because the liner has spent most of its 41-year life at sea, even objects dating back to 1840 are disqualified under the 50-year rule.
 
Among the works of art on board the QE2 is a portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, painted by Sir Oswald Birley and one by Edward Halliday of Princess Elizabeth shortly after her marriage to the Duke of Edinburgh. The QE2 also has 18 separate works of art by Graham Sutherland, who died in 1980.

The liner, synonymous with old-world British style and tradition, has been sold complete to Istithmar, said the head of Cunard Line, the shipping company which operates the QE2.

"The ship is sold with all her memorabilia and artefacts intact," said Carol Marlow, Cunard Line's president and managing director."We ensured all the legal paperwork was in place as the QE2 is a museum in its own right."

However, Marlow also said that Istithmar is not legally required to preserve the interior.

"The intention is that the ship and her memorabilia will be kept intact when it goes to Dubai," she said.

Queen Elizabeth II on Monday travels to the city of Southampton to visit the ship, which she is named after, for the last time before it sets sail for Dubai in October.

The QE2 was launched by the queen in September 1964, and has since travelled more than 6.4 million miles - more than any other ship.In its time in service, the ship has carried more than 2.5 million passengers, completed 25 world cruises and crossed the Atlantic 803 times.
 
When the QE2 reaches the UAE in November, she will cease her role as an ocean-going passenger vessel and be refurbished and adapted for her new home.

From 2009, the vessel will be berthed at a specially constructed pier at the Palm Jumeirah to create a "luxury" floating hotel, retail and entertainment destination.

Istithmar has said its refurbishment programme will aim to recreate QE2's original interior décor and fittings. QE2 at the Palm Jumeirah will also include a museum celebrating the rich history of the ship.

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