Russian loan exhibitions on again -- if there's still time

Russia gave official approval yesterday for a landmark exhibition of paintings to travel to London for display at the Royal Academy.

The state culture agency, Roskultura, announced that four museums had received licences to send the artworks to Britain, ending a row that had threatened to wreck the show. The dispute had been seen as the latest episode in the increasingly bitter relationship between London and Moscow since President Putin refused to extradite the man wanted by Britain for the murder of Alexander Litvinenko.

The Royal Academy now faces a race against time to open the From Russia exhibition on schedule. The first shipments of artworks originally had been due to arrive in Britain yesterday. Anna Kolupayeva, of Roskultura, said: "The consent has been given. Hopefully, we will be able to open the exhibition on January 26." The exhibition faced cancellation last month when Russia said that it could not accept British guarantees that works would be protected against seizure. Some of the paintings are claimed by heirs of collectors who owned them before the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, when they were expropriated by the communists.

Posted by David on January 9, 2008 9:58 PM