''Draped Seated Woman 1957–58'' (LH 428) is a bronze sculpture by the British artist

Henry Moore Henry Spencer Moore (30 July 1898 – 31 August 1986) was an English artist. He is best known for his semi-abstract art, abstract monumental Bronze sculpture, bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art. Moore ...

, cast in an edition of seven in the 1950s. The sculpture depicts a female figure resting in a seated position, with her legs folded back to her right, her left hand supporting her weight, and her right hand on her right leg. The drapery emphasises the female figure, but the facial features are abstracted and barely picked out. It was originally sculpted by Moore in plaster, then produced in bronze in an edition of seven, which are now located around the world.

Background

Henry Moore was a

war artist A war artist is an artist either commissioned by a government or publication, or self-motivated, to document first-hand experience of war in any form of illustrative or depictive record.Imperial War Museum (IWM)header phrase, "war shapes lives" ...

in the Second World War. He made a series of drawings of people in London sheltering from the Blitz in the Underground, swathed in thick clothes. These drawings sparked an interest in

drapery Drapery is a general word referring to cloths or textiles (Old French , from Late Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Late Latin ). It ma ...

which was renewed by the

classical sculpture Classical sculpture (usually with a lower case "c") refers generally to sculpture from Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, as well as the Hellenized and Romanized civilizations under their rule or influence, from about 500 BC to around 200 AD. It ...

s that Moore saw during a trip to Greece in 1951. He was attracted by the ability of the drapery to draw attention to some parts of the human form by lying tightly on the shoulders, thighs or breasts while concealing other parts where the wrapping falls slack, and also by the varied textures created by small and large folds in the material. Moore made a series of sculptures of draped human forms in the 1950s after he was commissioned to create a sculpture for the new

UNESCO Headquarters UNESCO Headquarters, or Maison de l'UNESCO, is a building inaugurated on 3 November 1958 at number 7 Place de Fontenoy in Paris, France, to serve as the headquarters for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ...

building in Paris. He wanted to create a figure in an architectural context, and turned to the seated human form. The first work in the series in 1955 was a

maquette A ''maquette'' is a scale model or rough draft of an unfinished sculpture or work of architecture. The term is a loanword from French. An equivalent term is ''bozzetto'', a diminutive of the Italian word for a sketch. Sculpture A maquette ...

, ''Draped Seated Woman: Figure on Steps'' (LH 427), cast in a series of 10. This became the working model for the full-size sculpture that became his ''Draped Seated Woman 1957–58''. He also made a similar work '' Draped Reclining Woman 1957-58''. Moore ultimately abandoned these ideas for the UNESCO commission, and his '' UNESCO Reclining Figure 1957-58'' (LH 416) is a much more abstract reclining form in

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and rusty varieties. It is formed by a process ...

Sculpture and casts

Moore's sculpture depicts a female figure in a seated position. It measures approximately long, tall, and weighs approximately . It is usually displayed mounted on a flat seat with raised arms to either side. The sculpture was originally made in plaster, and cast in bronze in an edition of seven; the plaster is now owned by the Art Gallery of Ontario, and the bronze casts are owned by institutions across the world. * Cast 0: on loan to the

Tate Gallery Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the UK ...

* Cast 1: on display at the Skulpturenpark Waldfrieden, Wuppertal * Cast 2:

London Borough of Tower Hamlets The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London boroughs, borough in London, England. Situated on the north bank of the River Thames and immediately east of the City of London, the borough spans much of the traditional East End of London and ...

, UK. On display in Cabot Square, Canary Wharf 2017–2022. * Cast 3:

Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal ...

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

* Cast 4:

Yale University Art Gallery The Yale University Art Gallery (YUAG) is an art museum in New Haven, Connecticut. It houses a major encyclopedic collection of art in several interconnected buildings on the campus of Yale University. Although it embraces all cultures and period ...

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

* Cast 5:

National Gallery of Victoria The National Gallery of Victoria, popularly known as the NGV, is an art museum in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest and list of most visited art museums in the world, most visited art mu ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

* Cast 6:

Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; ) is an Israeli public university, public research university based in Jerusalem. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, the public university officially opened on 1 April 1925. ...

Givat Ram Givat Ram () is a neighborhood in central Jerusalem. It is the site of Kiryat HaMemshala (Hebrew language, Hebrew: קריית הממשלה, ''lit.'' Government complex), which includes many of Israel's most important national institutions, among t ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

Cast 1 (Wuppertal)

The German cast (known as ''Die Sitzende'') was bought for a new swimming pool in Wuppertal, the Wuppertaler Schwimmoper. It generated very negative reactions from the German public when it went on display. Overnight on 5–6 December 1958, the cast was

tarred and feathered Tarring and feathering is a form of public torture where a victim is stripped naked, or stripped to the waist, while wood tar (sometimes hot) is either poured or painted onto the person. The victim then either has feathers thrown on them or is ...

, and an anonymous letter was left suggesting that the metal would be better used to make 100 frying pans. The derision continued, and the city authorities eventually donated the sculpture to the Von der Heydt Museum in 1963, and it was moved in September 1966. It went into storage in 1997 while the building was renovated, and returned to the swimming pool in 2010. In 2017 it was given a permanent home in Waldfrieden Sculpture Park, a park founded by British sculptor

Tony Cragg Sir Anthony Douglas Cragg (born Liverpool 9 April 1949) is an Anglo-German sculptor, resident in Wuppertal, Germany since 1977. Early life and training Tony Cragg was born in Liverpool."Tony Cragg." ''Contemporary Artists''. Farmington Hills, ...

in Wuppertal.

Cast 2 (Tower Hamlets)

Background to purchase

One of the casts was acquired by the

London County Council The London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today ...

in 1962 as part of its Patronage of the Arts Scheme. This scheme was operated by the

, and subsequently the

Greater London Council The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council (LCC) which had covered a much smaller area. The GLC was dissolved in 198 ...

between 1956-65, pursuant to which approximately 70 works of art were purchased, including a cast of Draped Seated Woman. Many new housing estates and schools were then being built, as part of the regeneration following World War II. Sir Alan Bowness (Director of the Tate Gallery from 1980–88) was a member of the Advisory Committee and knew the leader of the LCC, Sir

Isaac Hayward Sir Isaac James Hayward (17 November 1884 – 3 January 1976) was a British politician who was the longest-serving leader of the London County Council. He served from 1947 until it was abolished on the expansion of London (to form Greater L ...

, who encouraged the siting of such works in new housing estates, schools and parks, so they could be enjoyed by Londoners. In October 1959, the General Purposes Committee of the London County Council approved a programme for the acquisition and commissioning of works of art, in the financial year 1959/60, and had allocated £20,000 for that purpose. Provision had previously been made for expenditure of £1,500 for a sculpture (''The Lesson'' by

Franta Belsky František Bělský (as artist used the name Franta Belsky; in Czech Franta Bělský, 6 April 1921 – 5 July 2000) was a Czech-British sculptor. He was known for large-scale abstract works of public art as well as more iconographic statues ...

) for the Avebury Estate, Bethnal Green, and £3,500 for a work of art at the Alton Road Estate, Roehampton (''The Watchers'' by

Lynn Chadwick Lynn Russell Chadwick, (24 November 1914 – 25 April 2003) was an English sculptor and artist. Much of his work is semi-abstract sculpture in bronze or steel. His work is in the collections of MoMA in New York, the Tate in London and th ...

). The Housing Committee had decided not to pursue these proposals and instead noted that the committee should consider providing work at the Stifford Estate, (Clive Street), Stepney (where ''Draped Seated Woman'' was subsequently sited) and the Alton Road Estate. The proposed fee for a work of art for the Clive Street Estate was £2,000, out of the annual budget of £20,000.London County Council Minutes of Proceedings – London Metropolitan Archives During 1960, the London County Council made provision for the purchase of a work of art to be sited on the Stifford Estate, a new housing estate in the process of being constructed. Construction was completed in 1961 and tenants moved in during 1962. A memo on 27 July 1961 from the Advisory Body relating to the Patronage of the Arts notes: "Stifford Estate, Stepney (1959–60 programme) Provision has been made for a sculpture at a cost of £2,200. The Advisory Body are of the opinion that the site is of such prominence and importance that a work of major importance should be provided…The last remaining copy of "Seated Draped Woman" by Henry Moore is available and the Advisory Body strongly recommend that it should be acquired for this estate. None of the other copies of the work is in London. The cost would be £7,000...". Letter to Henry Moore confirming purchase

Letter to Henry Moore confirming purchase

The minutes of the General Purposes (Special Development and Arts) Sub-Committee dated 9 October 1961 passed a resolution that "subject to the approval of the Housing Committee the programmes of patronage of the arts for the years indicated are as follows:- (i) 1959–60 – Stifford Estate, Stepney – By the acquisition of a cast of "Draped Seated Woman" by

, at a cost not exceeding £7,000...(instead of a sculpture at a cost of £2,200)". The minutes of the Advisory Body's meeting dated 22 February 1962 note that in relation to the Stifford Estate "Henry Moore has agreed to sell a cast of his Draped Seated Women for a site on this estate, following the decision of the LCC General Purposes Committee to allocate £7,000 for this purpose".

Purchase and siting of the cast

''Draped Seated Woman'' was installed on the Stifford Estate on 1 July 1962. Nicknamed "Old Flo" it remained until the demolition of the estate and in 1997 was loaned by Tower Hamlets to the

Yorkshire Sculpture Park The Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP) is an art gallery, with both open-air and indoor exhibition spaces, in West Bretton, Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. It shows work by British and international artists, including Henry Moore and Barb ...

, where it remained until 2017. In 2012, Tower Hamlets made a decision to sell the sculpture which led to a public campaign to prevent the sale and a subsequent legal challenge over title.

Council decision to sell

In October 2012, Tower Hamlets' cabinet (led by Lutfur Rahman) decided to sell the sculpture. This followed a resolution in September 2010 where the council asked its officers to explore options and costs for relocating the sculpture in Tower Hamlets. The findings were presented to the cabinet on 3 October 2012 who concluded they would seek to sell the sculpture and consign it to Christie's for sale at public auction. Tower Hamlets took no steps to identify any other parties who may have had a claim to title or to confirm title before this decision was made. The decision was then called-in pursuant to the Council's Constitution. The call-in requisition cited the following reasons: # "The Council has had several years to investigate options for the statue and report on them. It has not done so. # The report he First Reportrefers in options icfor return, just Canary Wharf and Victoria Park. But gives no details of any negotiations with Canary Wharf or examines any other options within the Borough. # The report is therefore lacking in information in which to consider the sale of such an asset". The decision was discussed by the Council's Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 6 November 2012. The meeting was attended by a representative of the Museum of London, who presented the museum's proposal to house the sculpture at its secure site at no cost to the council. The committee unanimously referred the decision back to the cabinet for consideration, proposing alternative actions. These included that:

Insufficient consideration has been given to alternative options for returning the sculpture to the borough for public view and the decision seems to have been rushed. The alternative options should now be fully considered. In particular the offer from the Museum of London Docklands to host and insure the sculpture should be explored as well as the other expressions of interest and offers of support. These offers illustrate that it is possible to return the sculpture to public view in the borough securely.

At the cabinet meeting the following day, 7 November, the committee's findings were acknowledged, but the decision to sell the sculpture was reaffirmed.

Campaign against sale

Several organisations were involved in the campaign to prevent the sale of ''Draped Seated Woman'' including

the Art Fund Art Fund (formerly the National Art Collections Fund) is an independent membership-based British charity, which raises funds to aid the acquisition of artworks for the nation. It gives grants and acts as a channel for many gifts and bequests, as ...

and

Museum of London London Museum (known from 1976 to 2024 as the Museum of London) is a museum in London, covering the history of the city from prehistoric to modern times, with a particular focus on social history. The Museum of London was formed in 1976 by ama ...

and in 2012 researchers from the Museum of London, discovered that the sculpture was never transferred legally to Tower Hamlets and that the likely owner of the sculpture was actually the

London Borough of Bromley The London Borough of Bromley () is a London Borough, borough in London, England. It is the largest and southeasternmost borough in London, and borders the county of Kent, of which it formed part until 1965. The borough's population in the 2021 ...

, in its capacity as successor to the

London Residuary Body The London Residuary Body was a body set up on 12 August 1985 to dispose of the assets of the Greater London Council (GLC) after the council's abolition in 1986. Governance The LRB was chaired throughout its existence by Sir Godfrey Taylor. In ...

. When challenged, Tower Hamlets was unable to provide any evidence that the sculpture was ever transferred to it on the abolition of the GLC and the case went to the High Court for a determination on title.

High Court case

It was argued by the respondent in 2015 that the route to title for the London Borough of Bromley was as follows: # Under the Local Government Act 1963, the London County Council was abolished and replaced by the Greater London Council with effect from 1 April 1965. Pursuant to the Local Government Act 1963, Stepney (in which the Stifford Estate was located) was incorporated into the then newly created

. # By virtue of the London Authorities (Property etc.) Order 1964, all property of the London County Council which was not expressly transferred by Order of the Secretary of State would be transferred to and retained by the Greater London Council. Title to the sculpture therefore transferred to the Greater London Council. # On 1 July 1985, under the Greater London Council Order 1981 and (Amendment) Order 1985, the land and housing accommodation on the Stifford Estate together with other related buildings (such as...estate amenities) was transferred to Tower Hamlets. The Sculpture was not listed anywhere or identified in the "Revised Property Schedule and Consolidated Administrative List of Property Transferred" even though the schedule specifically identified all parking spaces, sheds and transformers on the site which were to be subject to the transfer. It also made it clear that amenity land, greens and shrub beds whilst not listed were included. There were detailed plans showing the Stifford Estate and the other estate amenities transferred. The Sculpture was not identified in the plans or listed in the schedule and as such it did not transfer to Tower Hamlets under this transfer order. # Under the

Local Government Act 1985 The Local Government Act 1985 (c. 51) is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom. Its main effect was to abolish the six county councils of the metropolitan county, metropolitan counties that had been set up by the Local Government Act 1972, ...

the GLC was dissolved. All assets of the GLC not otherwise specifically transferred vested in the

, by virtue of the

. This transfer included Draped Seated Woman as it had not been transferred to Tower Hamlets by any other means. # In 1996 the London Residuary Body was wound up. At that point all assets not otherwise assigned passed to the London Borough of Bromley in its capacity as successor to the London Residuary Body, pursuant to that order. At this point the sculpture became the property of the London Borough of Bromley. Tower Hamlets disagreed with and asserted that either: # the sculpture fell within the definition of property held in connection with housing accommodation pursuant to the Local Government Act 1963 and had therefore transferred to them by virtue of this. Or # In the alternative the sculpture was a fixture and had therefore transferred to them with the land on which it stood. Or # In the alternative it was an estate amenity and therefore transferred with the Stifford Estate. # that the council had committed an act of conversion by lending the sculpture to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in 1997 and that Bromley's title to the sculpture was therefore extinguished under the Limitation Act 1980. In July 2015, Mr Justice Norris, sitting in the

Chancery Division The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Senior Courts of England and Wales. Its name is abbreviated as EWHC (England ...

of the High Court, ruled that the route to title argued by the London Borough of Bromley was correct and that the sculpture had not transferred legally to Tower Hamlets on the abolition of the GLC by any of the routes argued by Tower Hamlets. He ruled that the sculpture was not a fixture, was not an estate amenity and had not transferred with the land on which it stood. However the Judge accepted the final argument from Tower Hamlets that it had committed the tort of

conversion Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''The Convert'', a 2023 film produced by Jump Film & Television and Brouhaha Entertainment * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * ...

when it loaned the sculpture as this was an act inconsistent with Bromley's rights as owner. As more than six years had passed since the act of conversion the judge ruled that Bromley's title was therefore extinguished under limitation and as such legal title now sat with Tower Hamlets.

Return to Tower Hamlets

In parallel with the high court case a challenge was lodged against the election of Rahman as Mayor of Tower Hamlets and his election was declared null and void by the Election Court. With removal of Rahman there was another election for Mayor won by the Labour's John Biggs, who made a commitment to cancel the sale and investigate how the sculpture could be displayed in Tower Hamlets. In 2017, the statue was returned to East London by the council, and displayed on private land at Cabot Square in the

Canary Wharf Canary Wharf is a financial area of London, England, located in the Isle of Dogs in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The Greater London Authority defines it as part of London's central business district, alongside Central London. Alongside ...

development.

References

External links