It’s a Wednesday evening, late September. The night is young and I find myself playing ‘spot the difference’ in the heart of the V&A’s Constable: The Making of a Master exhibition. I am with Steve Daszko, a good friend to the V&A, and we are comparing the V&A’s full-scale study of The Hay Wain with the original that is placed by its side. We are at the Private View, and talking about the exhibition amongst other things. It is an enjoyable evening, studying the paintings, comparing techniques and learning about Constable’s artistic legacy. As the V&A’s Legacies Manager, it is so rewarding to see Steve derive so much pleasure from the Museum – something I would like to see all people who pledge a gift in their Will to the V&A, to experience.
In this post, I discover Steve Daszko’s story in the second part of my blog series, where I hope to share some of the fascinating stories of the individuals who have left, and those who have pledged, gifts in their Wills to the Museum. Last time, I looked at the story of Fred Rowley whose £1,000 legacy was allocated towards the Save the Wolsey Angels campaign.
Steve Daszko is a freelance photographer from London who has been a V&A Member for over 6 years. The arts, culture and heritage are all really important to Steve, as he loves visiting exhibitions and Museums across London. For Steve, “V&A Membership is astonishingly good value… you can see the exhibitions as much as you want and use the Members’ Room whenever you want”. Steve visits the V&A as often as he can and enjoys the diversity of the collections – from the stained glass to the prints, drawings and paintings study room.
When Steve joined as a V&A Member, he did this mainly to visit the exhibitions. Sometime later, he received a Membership pack in the post and read that anyone could leave a gift in their Will to the V&A, regardless of size. This inspired Steve – he knew that contrary to popular belief, the V&A is a charity and does not receive all its funding from Government. Steve decided to pledge a cash legacy to the Museum as he realised that the “the V&A does not just receive legacies of £2 or £3 million, but that smaller amounts are just as important and could make a real difference, especially given that the permanent collections are free for all”, something he has always found amazing. Steve told me he decided to pledge an unrestricted cash legacy to the V&A because he “trust[s] the V&A to make the best use of that money”, knowing that the Museum has “so many different objects and has something of interest for everyone”.
Steve pledged his legacy in 2010, and by way of thanks, the V&A has ensured he is recognised for his most generous gesture. Anyone who is happy to let us know they have pledged a legacy in their Will to the V&A can benefit from the following for the rest of their lifetime:
- Invitations for themselves and a guest to behind-the-scenes legacy events
- Invitations to other special Museum events
- Complimentary copies of the V&A magazine
- A tribute in the Annual Review once the gift is received
The V&A has shown thanks to Steve by inviting him to the Constable: The Making of a Master opening. Constable has always been one of Steve’s favourite artists, and aware of this, the Legacies Manager in 2010 arranged for Steve to visit the V&A prints, drawings and paintings study room to see the full-scale study for the Hay Wain. Steve was blown away – he didn’t realise that the V&A holds the largest collection of preliminary sketches by Constable in the world, a collection bequeathed to the Museum by Constable’s daughter in 1885. So when the V&A announced its current Constable: The Making of a Master exhibition, it was natural to invite Steve to the opening.
This is just one example of how legacy pledgers, such as Steve, can enjoy as little or as much of a relationship as they like with the V&A. Steve enjoys a closer relationship with the V&A because he wants to. He has attended many of our legacy events, from talks on conservation to one particular highlight, getting up close and personal with an Oscar statue at this year’s Gabrielle Enthoven legacy event! Anyone who has pledged a legacy to the V&A, however large or small, can become as little or as much involved with the Museum as they wish – they just need to let us know, and who knows what they might discover.
For more information about gifts in Wills to the V&A, please contact Susan Hughes, Legacies Manager at legacy@vam.ac.uk or 020 7942 2716.
Excellently written feature. Glad to be involved and supporting the V & A Museum.