Protectionism and criteria

I have mentioned in these lines to the urgent need to a new legislation on heritage. It seems obvious that the new legislature is the opportunity to modify outdated criteria, especially during the economic crisis have hurt galleries, museums, auction houses, particular, fairs, and why not say it's own Spanish heritage.

The recent export permit to the portrait, painted by Goya, of Juan López de Robredo, which was auctioned in London, has caused a storm that has highlighted the lack of criteria of the above officials from the Ministry of Culture. And I say lack of approach because you can not allow this output and to prevent such a Zurbarán Agnus Dei, there are already two in public collections, not receive permission, not to mention other minor works.

José Luis Requena, in his article on ARS, analyzes the purchases of museums and recalls that the export permit of British authorities granted the monumental portrait of Van Campen, one of the four family groups painted by Frans Hals. After being deposited for years in the National Gallery of Wales, the owner decided to sell and export the state allowed. It is clear that European countries can not buy everything that is offered. And not only by the crisis, but by common sense. Against this, the only thing that counts is the criterion of discerning what we do and what not. There would have been logical to allow this picture out of Spain, which no Dutch painter's work, but seems reasonable that do not buy the British state. In the same way Spain can not buy all the Goyas that you will get a shot and that responsible trust assets to obey its decisions State criteria. And therein lies the problem: the lack of discretion. Something we need more than ever because otherwise, as has happened in other areas, we would end up imposing from the outside.