ARTS : Australia Blocks Export of Painting

The government today refused to grant an export permit for an Australian painting that sold at auction to an American for $1.4 million, the highest price ever paid for an Australian artwork.

Arts Minister A. Clyde Holding ordered the painting, “The Bath of Diana” by John Glover, to remain in Australia under the Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act.

The 1937 painting was sold to an American citizen at auction in April. The buyer was not identified.

Holding said he accepted advice from the National Cultural Heritage Committee, which said exporting the painting would greatly diminish the cultural heritage of Australia. It is the first time the Cultural Heritage Act of 1986 has been invoked.