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Museum of London offers council's Henry Moore sculpture a new home Museum of London offers council's Henry Moore sculpture a new home
(35 minutes later)
The Museum of London has offered a home to the Henry Moore sculpture Draped Seated Woman – affectionately known as Old Flo during her decades sitting in an East End housing estate – to save it from being sold off by Tower Hamlets council.The Museum of London has offered a home to the Henry Moore sculpture Draped Seated Woman – affectionately known as Old Flo during her decades sitting in an East End housing estate – to save it from being sold off by Tower Hamlets council.
The move by the museum follows protests, among them from the artist's daughter Mary, the film director Danny Boyle, the Tate gallery's director Sir Nicholas Serota, and many other artists and public figures, over a decision by Lutfur Rahman, mayor of Tower Hamlets, to sell the sculpture. The cash-strapped council believes it can raise up to £20m, and save the maintenance, security and insurance costs of displaying it.The move by the museum follows protests, among them from the artist's daughter Mary, the film director Danny Boyle, the Tate gallery's director Sir Nicholas Serota, and many other artists and public figures, over a decision by Lutfur Rahman, mayor of Tower Hamlets, to sell the sculpture. The cash-strapped council believes it can raise up to £20m, and save the maintenance, security and insurance costs of displaying it.
The Museum of London is the second public institution to volunteer to house and display the statue: Queen Mary's College is also willing to find a place where the public can continue to enjoy it – and in London rather than the Yorkshire sculpture park where it has been on loan for more than a decade, since the council demolished the tower blocks and redeveloped the Stifford estate, its original home.The Museum of London is the second public institution to volunteer to house and display the statue: Queen Mary's College is also willing to find a place where the public can continue to enjoy it – and in London rather than the Yorkshire sculpture park where it has been on loan for more than a decade, since the council demolished the tower blocks and redeveloped the Stifford estate, its original home.
The Museum of London believes that either of its traffic-free, CCTV monitored and security patrolled sites, high up in the Barbican estate or in Docklands, would give the statue a safe and fitting home. The Museum of London believes that either of its traffic-free, CCTV-monitored and security-patrolled sites, high up in the Barbican estate or in Docklands, would give the statue a safe and fitting home.
The museum's director, Sharon Ament, said: "The Museum of London's offer to put Draped Seated Woman on free, public display would enable everyone to enjoy and derive meaning from this significant artwork. As the leading museum for London we would help build an enduring cultural legacy for the affectionately named Old Flo.The museum's director, Sharon Ament, said: "The Museum of London's offer to put Draped Seated Woman on free, public display would enable everyone to enjoy and derive meaning from this significant artwork. As the leading museum for London we would help build an enduring cultural legacy for the affectionately named Old Flo.
"As Henry Moore's daughter Mary said in her letter to the Observer, this art work was created with 'the belief that everyone, whatever their background, should have access to works of art of the highest quality'. I firmly support this idea which echoes our purpose at the Museum of London to preserve the heritage of our capital city for everybody without prejudice.""As Henry Moore's daughter Mary said in her letter to the Observer, this art work was created with 'the belief that everyone, whatever their background, should have access to works of art of the highest quality'. I firmly support this idea which echoes our purpose at the Museum of London to preserve the heritage of our capital city for everybody without prejudice."
The bronze sculpture weighs 1.5 tonnes and stands almost three-metres tall. It was sold to the old London county council by Moore for £6,000, a bargain even in 1962, because he wanted it displayed in a public place.The bronze sculpture weighs 1.5 tonnes and stands almost three-metres tall. It was sold to the old London county council by Moore for £6,000, a bargain even in 1962, because he wanted it displayed in a public place.