The traditional Queen’s Birthday Party took place yesterday (Wednesday, 15 June 2022) at the British Ambassador’s residence in Ramat Gan, with a special royal theme celebrating Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s 70 years on the throne.

President Herzog congratulated the Queen on the special occasion in a filmed greeting, followed by a keynote speech and toast to the queen by Minister Ayelet Shaked. Among the guests were Leader of the Opposition Benjamin Netanyahu and Mrs. Sara Netanyahu, Ministers, Government Officials, senior figures from Israeli Trade, Economy, Diplomacy and society spheres, and 750 of the Embassy’s friends and contacts.

Huge celebrations took place in the UK over the last weekend to mark the Queen’s historic Platinum Jubilee, including more than 7,000 public events and street parties, marching parades, an air show over the London sky, cooking competitions and a live music show at Buckingham Palace.

Here in Israel the embassy is also getting the local community involved in the celebrations. Children from a primary school in Ramat Gan dedicated drawings to the Queen, which were posted on the gates of the British Ambassador’s Residence. Seminar Hakibutzim art students created royal themed stage design and photo stands for the event and the Israeli chamber orchestra played famous British pop songs as classical music – including hits by Queen, Adele, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran and the James Bond soundtrack.

All the designs at the event had a royal theme, including a golden and purple royal throne, the “royal” colour purple everywhere, and a “Mad Hatter’s” style tea party from Alice in Wonderland.

The menu was based on traditional royal dishes including Coronation chicken, which was the official dish at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953; King Edward Potatoes, a potato variety grown in the UK, which was proclaimed in 1902 at the coronation of King Edward, and Beef Wellington fillet – a dish named after Wellington’s first Duke, Arthur Wellesley.

Ambassador Wigan said:

The Queen has been on the throne for 70 years – a glorious achievement. Queen Elizabeth is an extraordinary woman, who dedicated her entire life to serving her country and people.

It’s a great honour for me to serve as her Ambassador at such a great time for the bilateral relationship between the UK and Israel. I’m not exaggerating when I say that our relationship is in the best place it has ever been.

Minister Shaked said:

The connection between Israel and the royal family, as well as the connection between the countries, is anchored in a common history and shared values. From the Balfour Declaration which was an essential milestone in the Zionist movement, to this very day, where our relations can be characterized as those of wide-ranging cooperation in a variety of different areas.

With regard to the Royal Family, we have had, over the past years, the privilege of acquainting ourselves with its members due to the visit of Prince William, and afterwards of his father, Prince Charles, who participated in the event hosted by the President of the State of Israel commemorating 75 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz Death Camp.

And thank you also to our three Platinum sponsors, BDO, Shore Capital and Abouelafia.

The Secretary of State for Education has seen first-hand how the Student Loans Company (SLC) is supporting the development of the UK Government’s Lifelong Loan Entitlement (LLE) initiative.

Visiting its head office in Glasgow this morning (Friday, 17 June), the Rt Hon Nadhim Zahawi met with technology colleagues who are in the process of building the systems that will be needed to deliver LLE when it launches in 2025. LLE supports the Government’s vision to support learners to train, upskill or retrain over the course of their lifetime.

As part of the visit, the Secretary of State discussed an outline of a design prototype LLE account and participated in a design workshop which focussed on the further development of the personal account. He also met with SLC technology apprentices and hosted a Q&A session with colleagues from across the business.

Stephen Campbell, Chief Information Officer at SLC, said: “LLE is an entirely new system of student finance for England and, as the administrators of student finance, we are playing an important part in co-designing the service. This system will have the customer experience at its heart and is a fundamental change to our product-centred business model, moving to a service that is based around a customer’s personal account.

“It was fantastic to have the Secretary of State involved in today’s sessions and introduce him to the expertise we have within the team at SLC. This is a significant technology project and is a great endorsement for SLC’s ability to deliver complex solutions to support Government policy.”

SLC has been based in Bothwell Street, in Glasgow, since its inception more than 30 years ago and also has sites in the North East of England and North Wales. The Glasgow office will move into a new purpose-built space in Buchanan Wharf next year.

Secretary of State for Education, Nadhim Zahawi, said: “At the heart of our vision to level-up opportunity across the country is the Lifelong Loan Entitlement; a fairer, more sustainable student finance system, which will help people access education throughout their lifetime – to upskill, retrain and reskill – so they can boost their own life chances and meet the ever-changing needs of our dynamic economy.

“The Student Loans Company is co-designing and delivering this radical approach and I was pleased to visit and see some of the innovation going into the new system for myself.”

SLC has 17 technology apprentices and 19 technology graduates, with more than 100 across all four of its Emerging Talent programmes.

Callum Campbell, a Software Engineering apprentice, was part of the group that took part in this morning’s visit. He said: “The apprenticeship programme at SLC has given me an opportunity to grow and develop my skills, so to be able to share our experiences with the Secretary of State was really important. Our technology transformation will completely change the way we serve our customers and with this qualification I feel I can contribute to the future of SLC, and even lead the way.”

LLE is a loan entitlement to the equivalent of four years of post-18 education, which can be used flexibly throughout a learner’s life – both for full years of study or to complete individual modules.

ENDS

For further information contact the Student Loans Company press office:

Notes to Editors

The Student Loans Company:

• administers student finance on behalf of the UK Government and the devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
• has 8.5 million customers and manages a loan book of £200 billion
• processes almost 2 million applications for student finance every year
• paid out £10.5 billion in loans and grants to new and existing students, as well as £11 billion in tuition fees to higher and further education providers in the last year
• employs over 3,300 staff across sites in Glasgow, Darlington and Llandudno Junction

• Export bar is to allow time for a UK gallery or institution to acquire the painting
• Painting was never exhibited in Tissot’s lifetime but in recent years has become an icon of the Aesthetic movement

Algernon Marsden by the French artist Jacques Joseph Tissot – who lived and worked in London and became known as James Tissot in the UK – is at risk of leaving the country unless a buyer can be found.

Dating from the late 19th century, the painting depicts Algernon Moses Marsden, an infamous figure in the Victorian art world who later became known for his appearances in bankruptcy courts.

The painting has become an icon of the Aesthetic movement in recent years, despite having never been displayed during Tissot’s lifetime, and depicts a young man in a luxurious interior. Algernon Marsden epitomises Tissot’s desire to elevate a portrait of an individual into a timeless genre painting and the sympathy between the artist, the sitter, and their surroundings is extraordinary.

Arts Minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay said:

Tissot has had an important influence on British art, the full extent of which is only just beginning to be explored. Algernon Marsden is a fascinating painting and reveals much about the Aesthetic movement, Victorian art dealers, and Tissot’s significance for future artists. I hope a buyer comes forward so we can continue to learn about this exceptional painting.

The Minister’s decision follows the advice of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest. The Committee agreed that this is a fascinating painting, presented in Tissot’s highly insightful style. It also noted the painting presents precarious, recent, and specifically Jewish affluence characteristic of this era, and emphasised this portrait’s value for research into social history and as a commentary on Marsden at this time.

Committee Member Pippa Shirley said:

This languidly handsome young man, who fixes us with his direct, appraising gaze, invites us into a world which is both luxurious and deceptive. He looks completely at home in his environment, but the setting was in fact the artist’s studio, and the tiger skin and some of the elaborate furnishings are actually props. Tissot, referred to as ‘the French Millais’ was at this point one of the most celebrated and successful French artists on both sides of the Channel, and this portrait, painted in 1877 and very much of its time, precisely observed and beautifully painted, more than justifies that reputation. The empathy, and sense of connection with Algernon Marsden, whom he knew, is palpable, and the composition hints at the sitter’s background.

Marsden’s history was almost literally rags to riches and back again – his family were Jewish entrepreneurs who had risen from poverty in the East End of London through a fortune made in the ready-made clothing business, but Algernon turned his back on that to set up as an art dealer, so encountering Tissot. It was not a wise move. Some years after this portrait was painted, he was declared bankrupt three times, thanks to his addiction to gambling, and eventually fled to America. This colourful yet shadowy figure and what he represents deserves to be better understood. His activities in the art market, his social circle and his relationship to Tissot and influence of French artists in London all merit further research, and it is very much to be hoped that the portrait can remain in this country to encourage that exploration.

The Committee made its recommendation on the grounds that the departure of the painting from the UK would be a misfortune owing to its outstanding significance to the study of Tissot’s influence on British art, as well as the culture of art dealers at this time.

The decision on the export licence application for the painting will be deferred for a period ending on 16 September 2022 inclusive. At the end of the first deferral period owners will have a consideration period of 15 Business Days to consider any offer(s) to purchase the painting at the recommended price of £2,430,130 (plus VAT of £72,900 which can be reclaimed by an eligible institution). The second deferral period will commence following the signing of an Option Agreement and will last for four months.

View the image on Flickr.

ENDS

1. Organisations or individuals interested in purchasing the painting should contact the RCEWA on 0845 300 6200.

2. Details of the painting are as follows: Jacques Joseph ‘James’ Tissot (1836-1902) Algernon Marsden Oil on canvas, 48 x 72.5 cm, 19 x 28 ½ in Signed and dated J Tissot 1877

3. Provenance: commissioned by the Marsden family, who paid £50 or 1,250 FF; by descent to Robert  Marsden; Sotheby’s 17 February 1971 lot 59; Christie’s (or Sotheby’s) 25 November 1983 lot 64, bought by Agnew’s.

4. The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest is an independent body, serviced by the Arts Council (ACE), which advises the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on whether a cultural object, intended for export, is of national importance under specified criteria.

5. Arts Council England is the national development agency for creativity and culture. They have set out in their strategic vision in Let’s Create that by 2030 they want England to be a country in which everyone’s creativity is valued and given the chance to flourish and where everyone has access to a remarkable range of high-quality cultural experiences. ACE invest public money from the Government and The National Lottery to help support the sector and to deliver this vision. Following the Covid-19 crisis, the Arts Council developed a £160 million Emergency Response Package, with nearly 90% coming from the National Lottery, for organisations and individuals needing support. They are also one of the bodies responsible for administering the Government’s unprecedented Culture Recovery Fund.