The National Gallery received a donation of £ 2 million

LONDON, January 21, 2011. The British National Gallery received an exclusive £ 2m gift from the Hintze family charity.

Halls of the British National Gallery in London
Photo © National Gallery, London.

Michael Hintze said:

“The National Gallery has an unusual collection that my daughter Dorothy and I really like. We have always sought to thank those who have brought so much into our lives. Historically, donations from private philanthropists account for about two-thirds of the support of the National Gallery, and in these economically difficult times, helping private individuals is especially important. ”

The money will be used for internal repairs of the premises in the Wilkins building, this will help to make them more arranged both for a comfortable visit and for better preservation of the collections. For many years, the gallery has been looking for opportunities to apply innovative approaches to improve the environmental conditions in the building, and this donation will help realize this goal.

In recognition of their generous gift, Hall 8 in the National Gallery will now be called the “Hall of Dorothy and Michael Hintze.”

Says Nicholas Penny, Director of the National Gallery:

“At a time when the need to support art is greater than ever, we welcome Michael and Dorothy Hintze, and other benefactors who play such a significant role in saving art. They have the ability to recognize the importance of protecting our cultural property and to understand how these treasures are important to society.

As a person living in South London, I would like to thank the Hintze family for what they did for the Wandsworth Museum. As a theater lover, I would like to thank them for supporting the Old Vic Drama Theater. As a sculpture lover, I would like to thank them for everything they have done for the Victoria & Albert Museum. These are just some of the cultural sites in the UK that have received support from the Hintze family. We know that the National Gallery is especially dear to the Hintze and we are deeply grateful to them for their recognition of our needs. This magnificent gift will have a direct impact on what gallery visitors will see in the future. ”

Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of Culture, who recently announced government plans to promote charity:

“I would like to pay tribute to the support and generosity of Michael and Dorothy Hintze. Donating money to culture and art is an incredibly patriotic act, adding to the number of generous gifts made by two exceptional people. "Their gift to the National Gallery is truly inspiring, and I hope that other citizens who have the opportunity and desire will follow suit."

Michael Hintze concluded:

“We are all custodians of this incredible legacy. I take it as a privilege and a duty of our family to be able to contribute to the preservation of national treasures for future generations. "

By the way, the budget of the State Hermitage Museum in 2010 amounted to about 2 billion rubles. At the same time, a quarter of these funds were earned by the museum itself, the rest - taxes of Russian citizens. Most of the funds went to construction and restoration work. Unfortunately, Mikhail Piotrovsky did not mention cases of any donations in favor of the largest Russian museum in his interview.

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