This month's Museum Partnership Report published by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) provides a wealth of data and performance information - valuable information about the direction of the museums sector. 

The Report was commissioned to survey the extent of collaboration that presently exists between national as well as with overseas museums.  So what do we learn about the appetite for loans to overseas museums by the 17 UK national museums participating in this Report?

An impressive total of almost 450,000 items were sent out on short or long-term loan by UK collections during the period April 2017 to March 2018, but mostly to other UK institutions and not all destined for display. In fact, the overwhelming majority of these objects (84% or 370,982) were loaned to almost 6,800 universities and science institutions for further study and research.  The number of items loaned for display numbered only 70,000 and many of those have been on long-term loan for a considerable time.  Maybe the concept and definition of a ‘loan’ requires further tweaking? 

The Report recognises that loans to museums outside the UK are a valuable tool that can help ‘build deep and mutually beneficial international relations’.  Based on the figures provided, we learn there were 638 loan arrangements made with 52 countries, although the actual number of items loaned globally is still very small - just 2.1% (or 9,279) of all the items loaned by UK national museums. Considering that overseas museums are expected to pick up all the expenses of an overseas loan, perhaps this shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. 

Also, the spread of loans is rather predictable. 60% of total non-UK loan arrangements (381) were made with other European countries, primarily to Spain (1,330 items), France and Germany. Outside Europe, the largest number of loan items (1,444) was made to the USA (23.6% of short-term and 20% of long-term loans); Canada saw 11.1% of the long-term loans made outside of Europe. Items loaned to China (1,088) represented only 2.4% of all loans outside the UK but predictably, the largest number of visitors came to see them (2.6m).  Only two African countries (South Africa and Zimbabwe) were listed as beneficiaries of long-term loans.

Intriguingly, the figures reveal that non-UK loans intended for research rather than display had a much wider geographical distribution: 271 loan arrangements were made with South American countries (12,080 items) and 110 with African countries (5,804 items). However, the Report does point out these are mostly smaller objects and generally of lower value.

So, what should an overseas museum planning a loan from a British collection bear in mind when the report's stated ambition for the UK is to use museum loans as a tool to assist cultural diplomacy and cultural exchange? 

Three points stood out in this Report:

Most short-term loans agreed by UK national museums are ‘reactive’.  In other words, they are made in response to a specific request to include the item in a forthcoming exhibition or display.

Because the country requesting the loan is expected to finance all the myriad travel, insurance and security arrangements connected to the loan, meeting these expenses can be a huge challenge. As a result, success usually reflects a country’s ability to fund these expenses.

Finally, countries must have the ‘capability and capacity’ for borrowing from a UK national museum. Nothing more is said about how challenging this could be for smaller museums around the world, but programmes initiated to help countries build this capacity (by the British Museum in particular) are beginning to achieve results.

Perhaps the bar is getting closer to reach for many more overseas museums.

Photo: British Museum, London

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