Kemp doesn't speak - almost.
February 23 2012
Talking of Martin Kemp (see below post), I've just noticed on his blog a sad tale about his involvement in the National Gallery podcast for 'Leonardo':
It is extraordinary though wholly familiar that arts professionals are expected to deliver high level services for nothing or next to nothing. Enthusiasm and commitment are exploited by those commissioning services. The most recent example is a podcast I was asked to record by the National Gallery in connection with the Leonardo show. I was asked to record items on the anatomical drawings, one of which, the vertical section of a man's head, provides a wonderful entry into Leonardo's ideas about seeing, thinking, imagination, memory etc. I negotiated the fee up to a grand £100! This was absolutely their "top fee". The gallery was unable to fix the recording at a date when I was due to be in London, and I therefore had to make the journey specially. On claiming expenses, I was told that they were not part of the deal. Given average mileage rates for travelling from Oxfordshire, I end up with £14.20 for something that consumed at least 4 hours of my time. I asked, "would you expect to employ an accountant or solicitor for this kind of money?" adding that " I am a professional speaker, writer, broadcaster now! There's something very wrong with the priorities here."
Quite right. I am sorry to think that as I enjoyed Martin's contribution to the excellent podcast, I didn't know he had been paid only £14.20. It is shocking that he was treated like this. And sadly, it happens all the time. You've only got to see the low pay for curators in museums to see how little value art historical knowledge is afforded these days. What is the solution? A Union of Art Historians? Moto: "Art Historians unite - you have nothing to lose but your standard-class travel expenses (if you're lucky)!"
