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A legal challenge on Tower Hamlets’ ownership of Old Flo is dismissed as PR stunt.

 'Draped Seated Woman'
Photo: 

yellow book

The ownership of the Henry Moore sculpture ‘Draped Seated Woman’ has become the subject a legal challenge by the Art Fund, following the controversial decision by Tower Hamlets Council to sell the work to raise money for the London Borough. The sculpture was originally sold by Henry Moore in 1962 to the now-defunct London County Council (LCC) for £7.4k and displayed on the Stifford Estate in Tower Hamlets, but was subsequently transferred to the Greater London Council (GLC) in 1986 when LCC was disbanded. When the Estate was demolished in 1997, the sculpture moved to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park where it has resided ever since. In an attempt to stall the sale and keep the work in public ownership, the Art Fund is claiming that it is not clear whether the Council owns the title to the sculpture, and that it has not been able to provide the information requested by Art Fund lawyers. The Art Fund claims its research show that works of public art were handled separately from land and buildings when the LCC and GLC were dissolved. Tower Hamlets’ Mayor, Lutfur Rahman, said that to challenge ownership after 30 years was “a desperate PR stunt” commenting: “First we had members of the art world telling a poverty stricken borough not to sell the sculpture, then we were told to place Old Flo out of reach of borough residents in an inaccessible inner courtyard of the Barbican and now they say we do not even own it!” The Council also points out that if the sculpture is auctioned off as planned in February next year, the Art Fund can put together a bid to buy it for public display. Culture Minister Ed Vaizey has said that although he has no formal power to intervene, he would happily work with concerned parties to see if means can be found to keep the statue in East London.