The Couper Collection barges (9080035736)

The Couper Collection in Hove, Sussex UK is an internationally exhibited collection of artwork and installations by the British artist Max Couper, as well as a venue for: exhibitions and events by other artists; and youth art education projects. The Couper Collection for many years exhibited its art in a floating gallery on converted barges, moored on the banks of the Thames in

Battersea Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park. History Batter ...

, London. Between 2001-2003 the Collection was a Focus Site of the London String of Pearls Golden Jubilee Festival, Patron HRH Prince Charles.

Works

Major works by Max Couper and the Couper Collection include: * Couper's new artwork & costumes at Galerie Verbeeck Van Dyke,

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

(2021) * Couper Collection's childrens' art exhibitions with the National Portrait Gallery London (2002) * Couper's Thames Fleeting Opera with the Royal Opera House and Judi Dench (2000) * Couper's exhibition at The Museum of Contemporary Art (MuHKA), Antwerp (1996) * Couper's exhibition at the

Sprengel Museum Sprengel Museum is a museum of modern art in Hanover, Lower Saxony, holding one of the most significant collections of modern art in Germany. It is located in a building situated adjacent to the Masch Lake (german: Maschsee) approximately south ...

, Hanover (1997) * Couper's exhibition at the

Lehmbruck Museum The Stiftung Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum - Center for International Sculpture is a museum in Duisburg, Germany. Sculptures by Wilhelm Lehmbruck, after whom the museum is named, make up a large part of its collection. However, the museum has a sub ...

of sculpture, Duisburg (1997)

Challenged mooring rights & closure 2014-2022

In 2006, the Couper Collection was involved a dispute with

Hutchison Whampoa Hutchison Whampoa Limited (HWL) was an investment holding company based in Hong Kong. It was a Fortune Global 500 company and one of the largest companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. HWL was an international corporation with a dive ...

and the

Port of London Authority The Port of London Authority (PLA) is a self-funding public trust established on 31 March 1909 in accordance with the Port of London Act 1908 to govern the Port of London. Its responsibility extends over the Tideway of the River Thames and its ...

regarding a land claim at

Albion Riverside Albion Riverside, in Battersea in London, is a high-end residential development located between Albert Bridge and Battersea Bridge on the River Thames. Completed in 2003 for client Hutchison Whampoa Property, it was designed by Foster and Part ...

and Foster and Partners's plans to remove the charity's barges. Foster's lawyers,

Farrer & Co Farrer & Co is a British law firm headquartered in London, England serving private individuals, charitable institutions and corporations. They have, over their more than three hundred years of operation, acted for many of the Kings and Queens of ...

, put in objections to the UK Land Registry. Max Couper claimed "ancient mooring rights", but in 2013 Justice

Arnold Arnold may refer to: People * Arnold (given name), a masculine given name * Arnold (surname), a German and English surname Places Australia * Arnold, Victoria, a small town in the Australian state of Victoria Canada * Arnold, Nova Scotia Uni ...

ruled that the barges should be removed, and Hutchison Whampoa sought to enforce the ruling with a further High Court order to "dispose of or destroy" the gallery. The PLA offered alternative mooring sites, which Couper declined. The gallery reopened in 2022 and the website maxcoupercollection.uk was updated. The charity was removed from the Charity Commission's register in 2018. The litigation was long, and complex. Proceedings were first issued in 2006. The final judgement in the litigation was later in 2017, when Couper attempted to sue his solicitors and counsel in the earlier proceedings. The vessels have been sold.

References

External links

The Couper Collection's website
*https://maxcoupercollection.uk Art museums and galleries in London Museums in the London Borough of Wandsworth Art collections in the United Kingdom {{UK-art-display-stub