# Artwork criticises public funding of the arts

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2015/07/10/art-criticises-public-funding-of-arts/
- Published: 2015-07-10T10:42:52+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**This year’s Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy contains a wide range of artworks
in various media, but one in particular is likely to stand out to any fundraisers.
It was a personal attack on not just a grantmaker, but that grantmaker’s Chair.**

_Sir Peter Bazalgette’s P45_, by Rob and Roberta Smith RA, is an oil on board painting
that presents itself as the P45 (the tax certificate given to an employee as they
end their employment), to the Chair of [Arts Council England](http://www.artscouncil.org.uk).

![Sir Peter Bazalgette's P45](https://www.fundraising.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/
07/peter-bazalgettes-p45-royal-academy.jpg)

Artists calling time on a funder’s Chair

A lengthy text message on a red background is headlined with messages such as “Whatever
happened to arm’s length?” and “Sack Peter Bazalgette”.

## Advertisement

 [⌊Posthub advert. You create the campaign. We'll handle the postal journey. Get started at post-hub.co.uk.⌉](https://fundraising.co.uk/ads/posthub-20261007-300x250/)

The message reads in capitals throughout:

“Peter Bazalgette You do not have the confidence of artists You are simply normalizing
a government view. By saying theatres are all businesses and no funded organization
should receive more than 25% A.C.E support you have prooved yourself to be a puppet.
Ur not a champion of art but part of art’s destruction” [sic].

The [artwork is on sale for £7,500](https://se.royalacademy.org.uk/artwork/Bob-and-Roberta-Smith-RA/934).

Bob and Roberta Smith have produced other work defending the arts, including ‘[Art makes children powerful](http://www.seditionart.com/bob-and-roberta-smith/art-makes-children-powerful)‘.

 * **[New UK arts prize is open to all](https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/05/21/new-uk-art-prize-is-open-to-all/)(
   21 May 2026)