The surprising role of Norwich Castle Museum in the making of one of the most iconic album covers of the 1980s has been revealed - by the man who designed it.
New Order's 1983 album Power, Corruption & Lies regularly features in lists by critics of the greatest albums of all time.
New Order closing Latitude 2016. Photo: Paul John Bayfield (Image: PAUL JOHN BAYFIELD)
But the cover of the record has also become iconic, designed, like so much of the work by the Manchester band and their predecessors Joy Division, by Peter Saville.
Power, Corruption & Lies by New Order. Designed by Peter Saville. (Image: Archant)
And Mr Saville has revealed, in a new Maxine Peake-narrated podcast about New Order and Joy Division, the role Norwich played in the battle for permission to use the painting which inspired that cover.
Speaking on the podcast Transmissions: The Definitive Story of New Order and Joy Division, Mr Saville explained how his choice to use a painting by Henri Fantin-Latour led him to Norwich Castle Museum.
A Basket of Roses by Henri Fantin-Latour. (Image: The National Gallery London)
Mr Saville told the podcast he had bought a postcard of the 19th Century French artist's painting from the National Gallery shop and the band had backed the idea.
He said: "It turned out that we couldn't get a reproduction transparency from the National Gallery.
"Their reproduction transparency was damaged and the painting was on long loan and, as such, photography was forbidden by the auspices of the National Gallery. And so there was an impasse."
Norwich Castle Museum. (Image: Archant)
The painting was on long loan to Norwich Castle Museum, but Tony Wilson, the boss of New Order's label Factory Records, intervened.
Mr Saville said Mr Wilson, who was played by Steve Coogan in the film 24 Hour Party People, got Sir Michael Levey, the then director of the National Gallery, on the phone.
Mr Saville said: "Tony said to Sir Michael Levey: 'With all due respect, sir, who actually owns this painting?' And Levey's answer was: 'The people of Great Britain own it, Mr Wilson'."
"And Tony said: 'Well, the people want it'. At which point, Levey conceded and said: 'If you put it like that, I'm sure we can make an exception in this case'."
"And, so, I was granted special dispensation to go and photograph it, but this notion that 'the people want it', I just love that."
In 2010, the album cover featured on a Royal Mail stamp celebrating iconic album covers.
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