V&A grovels after branding Thatcher villain alongside Hitler | UK | News

V&A grovels after branding Thatcher villain alongside Hitler | UK | News

The V&A has plunged into a political row this week after the museum labelled Margaret Thatcher a « contemporary villain » and « unpopular public figure ».

The popular London museum, which showcases collections of art, design and performance, had placed Britain’s first female prime minister alongside Adolf Hitler and Osama Bin Laden in a display.

The comparison sparked outrage, with former Conservative Party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith questioning whether the museum should be able to access millions in public funding.

The controversial comparison was part of the ongoing ‘Laughing Matters: The State of a Nation’ display at the V&A.

The free display examines the « role of humour in debates around identity, empire and power over the past two hundred years ».

One of the cases featured a puppet of Baroness Thatcher from the satirical television show Spitting Image.

The Tory leader, who died in 2013, was regularly lampooned on the comedy show during her 1980s rule.

The original caption read: « Over the years, the evil character in this seaside puppet show has shifted from the Devil to unpopular public figures including Adolf Hitler, Margaret Thatcher and Osama bin Laden, to offer contemporary villains. »

Culture secretary Lucy Frazer weighed into the row and blasted the V&A for its « inappropriate » wording.

Sir Iain added: « They must live in a bubble, away from the real world to think that it is rational to propose that a politician of the stature of Margaret Thatcher would equate to any of those mass murderers and vile human beings.

« This sort of idiocy begs the question about government funding. »

Others pointed out that the director of the museum is former Labour MP Tristram Hunt.

The V&A quickly backtracked under pressure and admitted its original wording was « open to misinterpretation ».

The new display caption reads: « The characters have since been re-cast to reflect figures in the public eye – from Adolf Hitler during wartime to Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s being portrayed as villains, to more recently Nick Clegg as the clown and Simon Cowell as the judge. »

A museum spokesperson added: « We have reviewed the label text which relates to public figures who, in recent history, have been characterised as villains in Punch and Judy shows.

« We do appreciate that the original wording was open to misinterpretation and have updated it. »

Cet article est apparu en premier en ANGLAIS sur https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1881013/V-A-Victoria-Albert-Margaret-Thatcher-outrage-Hitler


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