Lord Jeffrey Archer, the former politician turned bestselling author, has revealed plans to give away his vast art collection, estimated to be worth at least £100 million. Speaking from his penthouse overlooking the Thames, the 78-year-old said he has started to feel guilty about his wealth as he ages.
Archer, who served time in prison for perjury, said his wife Mary, a scientist and chair of the Science Museum, is overseeing the donations. 'Mary is in the driving seat,' he told the Daily Mail. 'She holds board meetings to discuss it with the children.'
The collection includes works by Monet, Picasso, Hockney, and Warhol. A Monet painting of Parliament, similar to one that sold for £28 million in 2015, hangs in his apartment. Archer has already sold items at Christie's, raising over £5 million for charity, and has pledged pieces to the Tate, National Maritime Museum, and Ashmolean Museum.
Archer said he would rather give the paintings to 'good homes' than see them taxed. He is also funding bursaries for immigrant women at Oxford and Cambridge colleges, on his wife's advice that 'the only thing you can give people is education'.
