uk government slaps export ban on howard hodgkin work after bonhams sold it for a record 1 7 m 1234776717

The UK government has issued a temporary export ban on Howard Hodgkin’s painting "Mrs Acton in Delhi" (1967–71) following its record-breaking £1.7 million sale at Bonhams. The Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) intervened after the buyer applied for an export license, triggering a deferral period that allows British museums or galleries until June 4 to match the auction price and keep the work within the country.