Richard Warren


Mandergate: meanness and magnanimity


Mandergate on Facebook


How do you flog a million pound sculpture?




Why should the Scots have all the best sculptures?







3 responses to “Mandergate: meanness and magnanimity

  1. Win Sutton August 9, 2014 at 6:39 pm

    I don’t think I will need the Mander Centre, if they don’t care about us. With a little thought most of us can shop elsewhere. There seems no doubt that the Rock Form (Porthcurno) was given for our enjoyment and to give an extra something to our lives. I can’t imagine how anyone can see a work of art purely as a financial asset. In my world integrity comes before business acumen.

  2. Simon Wilson August 13, 2014 at 2:40 pm

    The really interesting question is do the owners of the Centre actually have title to the sculpture. You quote a hint in your original story that Hepworth may have donated the work, which actually seems highly likely in the circumstances, although if so probably the basic cost of casting would have been paid by somebody. So perhaps there were conditions attached to the gift? Where is the paperwork for either gift or purchase? As the recent case of the Tower Hamlets Henry Moore shows, where the council was determined to sell but in the end could not prove ownership, proof of title is essential. Can the owners of the Centre prove that they also own the sculpture?

    • richardawarren August 13, 2014 at 5:33 pm

      Thanks, Simon. We’ve been moving towards exactly that question, given that recent enquiries seem to show that the company paid Hepworth only cost price, i.e. the cost of casting, as you suggest. Therefore, effectively a donation. I’ve seen a figure in an accounts book, but beyond that I’m unaware of any other proof of ownership, though it might exist. We’ll follow this up …

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