REVIEWING COMMITTEE ON THE EXPORT OF WORKS OF ART AND
OBJECTS OF CULTURAL INTEREST
The Department for Culture Media and Sport seeks applications for 2 positions
on the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of
Cultural Interest.
Introduction
The Committee is a non-statutory, independent advisory body whose main role is to
advise the Secretary of State whether a cultural object which is the subject of an
export licence is of national importance under the ‘Waverley criteria’. These are as
follows:
History
Aesthetics
Scholarship
Is it so closely
connected with our
history and national life
that its departure would
be a misfortune?
Is it of outstanding
aesthetic importance?
Is it of outstanding
significance for the study of
some particular branch of
art, learning or history?
Waverley 1
Waverley 2
Waverley 3
The Committee reaches a view on the merits of any object which one of the
Secretary of State’s expert advisers refers to it. If the Committee finds that an item
meets at least one of the Waverley criteria, it will recommend to the Secretary of
State that the decision on the export licence should be deferred for a specified
period. This will allow institutions and private individuals in the UK a chance to raise
the money to purchase the item to enable it to remain in this country.
Membership and terms of reference of the Committee
The Committee consists of eight permanent members, seven of whom have
particular expertise in one or more subject areas such as paintings, furniture, and
manuscripts, and a Chair. Its terms of reference are as follows:

To advise on the principles which should govern the control of export of objects of
cultural interest under the Export Control Act 2002 and on the operation of the
export control system generally;

To advise the Secretary of State on all cases where refusal of an export licence
for an object of cultural interest is suggested on grounds of national importance;

To advise in cases where a special Exchequer grant is needed towards the
purchase of an object that would otherwise be exported.
General qualities sought
Candidates for the 2 posts will be able to demonstrate the following qualities and
expertise:

An ability to assess objectively whether cultural objects brought before the
Reviewing Committee meet the Waverley criteria.

An interest in the UK’s moveable cultural heritage, a broad understanding of its
variety and range and the issues surrounding its protection.

An understanding of the need to maintain the confidentiality of Committee
meetings.
Essential Expertise
 An in depth knowledge and understanding of a relevant specialist area to
complement the expertise currently on the Committee (current membership
specialism’s detailed below).

One of the appointees will be required to have a detailed knowledge of
manuscripts, documents and archives and an ability to chair the Documents
Working Party, which meets once a year to consider the present arrangements
for the export control of manuscripts, documents and archives.

One of the appointees will be required to have a detailed knowledge of furniture
and the decorative arts.
Desirable Criteria
 A good understanding of the UK art trade.
 Knowledge of UK historic buildings and some familiarity with collections.
 Detailed knowledge of sculpture.
Current Reviewing Committee Membership
Sir Hayden Phillips GCB DL (Chair)
The Independent Reviewer of the Adjudications of the Advertising Standards
Authority; Director of the Energy Saving Trust and of St Just Farms Ltd; Chairman of
the Apsley House Management Committee; Deputy Lieutenant of Wiltshire; a Lay
Canon of Salisbury Cathedral and Chairman of its Fabric Advisory Committee.
Former Permanent Secretary of the DCMS, and of the Lord Chancellor’s Department
(now the Ministry of Justice); Former Chairman of the National Theatre.
Richard Calvocoressi
Director of The Henry Moore Foundation since 2007; former Keeper, then Director,
of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and prior to this a curator at the Tate
Gallery (1979-87). An Expert Member of the Comité Magritte, a Member of the
Francis Bacon Catalogue Raisonné Committee and a Trustee of The Art Fund.
Specialism on the Committee: Twentieth century art.
Philippa Glanville
Trustee of the Geffrye Museum, member of the Westminster Abbey Fabric
Commission, Curatorial Adviser the Harley Foundation, Vice-President of the Society
of Antiquaries of London and President of the Silver Society.
Specialism on the Committee: Silver and the history of collecting.
Lowell Libson
Managing Director and Proprietor of Lowell Libson Ltd. The gallery specialises in
British paintings, watercolours and drawings of the seventeenth to twentieth
centuries.
Specialism on the Committee: the art market and British works of the 17th - 20th
centuries.
Simon Swynfen Jervis
Former Director of Historic Buildings at the National Trust, currently a Director and
Trustee of The Burlington Magazine, Chairman of the Furniture History Society,
Chairman of the Walpole Society and Chairman of the Leche Trust.
Specialism on the Committee: Furniture and historic buildings.
Leslie Webster
Formerly Keeper of the Department of Prehistory and Europe, British Museum.
Currently an Honorary Visiting Professor at the Institute of Archaeology, UCL; a
member of the National Heritage Memorial Fund Advisory Panel; and Trustee of the
Society of Antiquaries of London. Former President of the Society for Medieval
Archaeology.
Specialism on the Committee: Archaeology and early medieval material culture.
Aidan Weston-Lewis
Chief Curator at the National Gallery of Scotland, with responsibility for the Italian
and Spanish collections. Formerly Assistant Librarian at the Witt Photographic
Library at the Courtauld Institute in London.
Specialism on the Committee: Spanish and Italian painting and drawing, Scottish
collections.
Dr Christopher Wright
Former Head of Manuscripts at the British Library, Fellow of the Society of
Antiquities and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
Specialism on the Committee: Manuscripts and archives.
Time Commitment
Approximately 10 to 12 meetings a year (usually held on the first Wednesday of each
month) which may last up to a day. In addition, members will need to put aside time
to consider casework and policy issues.
Location of Meetings
Central London.
Term of Appointment
Committee members are appointed for an initial term of 4 years.
Remuneration
This post is not salaried. However, Committee members’ travel expenses, incurred
through attending meetings, are paid.
How to apply
Please submit a CV and a covering letter which explains to what extent you offer the
general qualities, essential expertise and – ideally – desirable criteria listed above.
Send these, with the completed monitoring forms, to:
david.goodwin@culture.gov.uk
If you need to apply in hard copy, please send to:
David Goodwin
Public Appointments Unit
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
100 Parliament Street
London SW1A 2BQ
Tel: 020 7211 2310
The closing date for applications is Monday 12 January.
Interviews for shortlisted candidates are expected to be held on Thursday 5 March.
For further information about the public appointments process please contact David
Goodwin (details above). If you have any questions about the work of the
Committee, please contact:
Peter Rowlands
Secretary to the Reviewing Committee
Tel: 0207 268 9671
Email: Peter.Rowlands@artscouncil.org.uk
DCMS promotes an equal opportunities policy. Appointments are made on merit,
following a fair and transparent process, and these appointments are regulated by
the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Applications are welcomed
regardless of gender, age, marital status, disability, religion, ethnic origin, political
opinion, sexual orientation for whether or not you have dependents