Under the Gallery, hidden in a labyrinth of corridors, lie the gallery archives. Behind its locked doors there are all manner of lost stories and tales, of which this is only one…
If you wish to, there are many ways of supporting the gallery. Becoming a member of the Friends of the Gallery is just one, and it gets you a few perks, too; behind-the-scenes tours, talks and lectures, discounts in the café, special previews of exhibitions - that kind of thing. What’s that? It all sounds a bit staid and genteel?
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You’re so wrong. The Friends, even from their earliest days, were willing to buck authority.
Let’s start at the beginning- and it’s not as far back as you think. Timothy “Timmy” Clifford, the then new Director of Manchester Art Gallery, formed The Friends of the Gallery in 1978.
Manchester Art Gallery, 1978 © Manchester City Galleries
Oh, it all started out innocently enough, next to a small article in a local newspaper announcing Manchester Art Gallery’s latest Director;
“The Magnificent Seven – that’s the title by which the new Director of Manchester Art Galleries, 32 years-old Mr Timothy Clifford, would like the city’s galleries to be known.
Mr Clifford came to Manchester three months ago with a determination to make the city’s galleries the best outside London.
He has begun by redecorating and reorganising the main City Art Gallery in Mosley Street and promises that the future will bring radical improvements at the six other galleries – Platt Hall, Wythenshawe Hall, Fletcher Moss, Queen’s Park, The Athenaeum and Heaton Hall.”
And there, tucked away to the side, was a low key announcement;
From Mancunian Way, August 1978
They even secured the patronage of the Lord Mayor of Manchester, who launched The Friends at a fancy Christmas soiree.
Daily Telegraph 6th December 1978
So far, so Friends. It was all going swimmingly. Thanks to the perks and events, membership numbers were climbing. There was even a talk by Bevis Hillier, the noted art historian, journalist, author and, later, prankster.
Manchester Evening News, January 17th 1979
There followed a programme of museum visits and parties. But what about those cultural trips abroad? A pleasant excursion to Italy, perhaps? As 1979 rolled around, the ranks of the Friends swelled to ‘well over 400’. The subscription was creeping up, too (it was £6 now!), but it was all for a good cause.
Manchester Evening News 30th January 1979
But 1979 was when it all kicked off, globally speaking. First came the Iranian Revolution, a popular uprising that toppled the monarchy and established an Islamic republic, sending shock waves across the world. Then, in November 1979, a group of Iranian students stormed the US Embassy in Tehran, taking over 60 embassy staff hostage, and holding them for 444 days.
Top Left: Iranian Students. Credit: AP Top Right: Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Credit: AFP Images Bottom left: Students storming the US Embassy, Tehran. Credit: AFP Bottom Right: Blindfolded American hostage with captors. Credit :AFP Images
As if all that wasn’t bad enough, the year was topped off in December, by Russia invading Afghanistan.
Top left: Russian Tanks. Credit: Wikimedia Commons Top right: Afghan’s outside the Kabul central Pulicharkhi prison. Credit: Hans Paul/AFP/Getty Images Bottom Left: Afghan freedom fighters in Kitzkai Valley on a conquered Soviet vehicle. Credit AP Photos Bottom Right: Mujahideen rebels. Credit: AP Photo/Jacques Langevin
Nearer to home, Anthony Blunt, professor of art history at the University of London, director of the Courtauld Institute of Art, and Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures had been exposed as a Soviet spy. He was the fourth man in the Cambridge Russian spy ring of Philby, Burgess and MacLean.
Top left: Queen Elizabeth II and Anthony Blunt. Credit: PA Top Right: Anthony Blunt by Chris Ware .Credit: Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Bottom Left: Burgess, Philby, MacLean. Credit: Getty Images Bottom right: Red Square, Moscow. Credit: Getty Images
It was against this background that 130 of the Friends had planned their first long awaited cultural trip abroad to… Russia!? While the UK Foreign office hadn’t expected the Iranian Revolution, Government advice following the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan now stated that, in the present conditions, travel to Russia was no longer recommended.
So what did the Friends do?
Sunday Express 27th January 1980
They went anyway...
The Cold War had barely thawed, and now diplomatic relations had frozen again. Amid this blizzard of events, the Friends still strode into the Bear’s den, even though, after Blunt, the mix of Soviets and Art was a bit of a sore point for the British Establishment. It wasn’t without trepidation, though. Some members of the Friends had second thoughts…
Manchester Evening News 28th January 1980
Russia in February 1980 was not the most hospitable of places. Weather-wise, the temperatures plummeted to minus 24 degrees Celsius. The political temperature was not much warmer, with references to “the aggression of certain Western powers in Afghanistan” being made at the official reception for the Friends of Manchester Art Gallery.
Still, they were only there for a week (they hoped). They enjoyed a packed cultural itinerary that included the Kremlin Armoury, a visit to the Hermitage Museum (the Tsar’s original Winter Palace) in Leningrad (now St Petersburg), The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, the Pavlovsk Summer Palace and trips to the State Circus and Opera.
Top left; Kremlin Armoury T op right: Hermitage Museum Bottom left: Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts Bottom right: Pavlovsk Summer Palace
All in all, the trip was a success despite the underlying tensions, and Timothy Clifford’s then-wife, Jane, Principal Designer for Laura Ashley, reported the visit…
Daily Telegraph 13th February 1980
All 130 Friends of Manchester Art Gallery made it back to Britain without diplomatic incident. At least, nobody mentioned any late night visits from the KGB. But then again, they wouldn’t, would they? Shortly after their return, this brief article appeared in a local paper…
Altrincham Guardian 28th February 1980
…innocent puff piece, or coded message?
Straight out of the gate, the Friends of Manchester Art Gallery had forged their own path with a willingness to take risks and go the extra 1580 miles. Forty-one years later, they are still here, supporting the Gallery.
If you were on that Russian trip in 1980, or knew someone who was, we’d love to hear from you and find out more. You can contact us in the comments below, or email our Friends Coordinator, Andy Turner, at; friends@manchester.gov.uk
And if you want to join the Friends and support the Gallery, you can sign up on the website: https://manchesterartgallery.org/support-us/friends/
We can’t promise you any dark tourism, but we do hope you’ll enjoy our programme of exclusive events.