French art experts have backed British painter David Hockney in furiously opposing the Bayeux Tapestry being sent to London.
They said it would be a “crime against our heritage” to see the medieval masterpiece leaving their country, where it has been kept for almost a thousand years.
The 230ft long, 20inch tall embroidered cloth depicts events around William, Duke of Normandy, defeating King Harold at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, so conquering England.
But the Bayeux museum where it is currently kept is being renovated, and French President Emmanuel Macron wants the tapestry to be loaned to the British Museum in London for almost a year, during the works.
David Hockney, who lives in Normandy, described the scheme as “madness” because the cloth is too delicate to be transported.
The 88-year-old wrote in The Independent: “Some things are too precious to take a risk with. Moving the Bayeux Tapestry is one of them.”
More than 77,000 people in France have now signed a petition saying, “No, to the loan of the Bayeux Tapestry”.
Those behind it are furious at President Macron’s announcement that the tapestry would disappear from France from this coming September to July 2027.
Art specialist Didier Rykner, editor of the influential La Tribune de l’Art website, which organised the petition, said the upcoming move was “a true crime against our heritage.”
Mr Rykner said: “Tapestry specialists, the restorers working on it, and the curators, say there is a risk of tears and material loss due to handling and vibrations during transport.
“It is unacceptable to risk this absolutely unique work being damaged.”
The tapestry is set to be insured by the UK Government Indemnity Scheme – an alternative to commercial insurance – for almost £1billion (The Treasury will not confirm the exact figure, but confirm estimates of approximately £800,000 as being in the “right range”)
This astronomical sum is far more than twice the price of the most expensive artwork ever sold at artwork – Leonardo Da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi, which went for around £330million – yet many French still don’t think it is enough.
Mr Rykner points out that a stolen or seriously damaged Bayeux Tapestry could “never be replaced”, making it priceless.
