A council selling off an art installation created by the renowned Turner Prize winner Sir Antony Gormley has sparked anger and disbelief.
The Two Stones, which had been outside the Kent History and Library Centre in Maidstone in since 2013, were sold by owner Kent County Council (KCC) in its efforts to stay financially afloat.
Sir Antony Gormley’s Two Stones installation outside the Kent History and Library Centre in Maidstone
KCC confirmed today that the work has been sold back to Sir Antony and the decision was taken “carefully”. The sale price has not been disclosed.
The authority has already sold off hundreds of other pieces of art, raising tens of thousands of pounds.
The artist is probably best known for his iconic 66ft high Angel of the North sculpture at Gateshead, Tyne and Wear.
Green Party Kent county councillor and leader of Maidstone Borough Council, Stuart Jeffery dubbed the move “shameful”.
County Hall, Kent County Council HQ in Maidstone
“Reform are happy to fund their spin doctors from public money, and they seem to have no qualms about selling important public art to balance their books,” he said.
“That says volumes about their values.
“Just imagine if the Angel of the North got flogged off? The Two Stones may have a lower profile but they are important art and are really special to Maidstone with Gormley’s history here. Reform have no insight into governing or leading communities. This sale is shameful.”
Green Maidstone Borough Councillor Stephen Thompson, a cabinet member whose portfolio includes arts, culture, heritage and tourism said: “I’m furious. While Maidstone Borough Council is working hard to promote culture and art, the actions at KCC are the complete opposite of what we are doing.
Cllrs Stuart Jeffery and Stephen Thompson at the site of the installation’s removal
“Not content with flogging off the county’s art collection, they have now robbed us of a major piece of public art at the library. Gormley’s Two Stones contrasts the real and the artificial. The fact that KCC have surreptitiously sold this off in a further feeble attempt to ‘balance the books’ really demonstrates the huge difference between our two councils.”
One of the stones is made from granite, representing the old or traditional, while the other is bronze, which represents the new. They were created between 1979-81 having been commissioned by KCC and the Arts Council.
The work is particularly significant to Maidstone, as Gormley is a former student at the Maidstone College of Art. He won the Turner Prize in 1994.
A KCC statement said: “KCC recognises the cultural significance of Two Stones and Antony Gormley’s connection to Maidstone, therefore the decision to sell Antony Gormley’s Two Stones back to the artist was taken carefully as part of KCC’s ongoing work to manage the significant financial pressures facing Kent.
Sir Antony Gormley
“Kent is in a similar position to most other local authorities in having to make difficult financial decisions.
“The private sale enables the council to raise income without increasing costs for residents or reducing frontline services. Returning the works directly to the artist also ensures their ongoing care and preserves the potential for future public exhibition.
“Responsible leadership requires difficult decisions to ensure the council remains financially sustainable while continuing to support culture in ways that are affordable and appropriate. The sculptures were dispatched at the end of March to be reunited with Antony Gormley.”
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