A faceless sculpture of Prince Philip, as soon as described by a council planner as “presumably the poorest high quality work” ever submitted, can be taken down years after it was erected with out planning permission.
Standing exterior a colorless Cambridge workplace block, the 4-metre bronze statue depicted the late queen’s husband in tutorial robes with an summary face resembling a twisted owl masks.
Known as The Don, it was designed to commemorate his 35 years as chancellor of Cambridge College however its essential reception was savage, with one artwork critic describing it as “detritus masquerading as public artwork”.
The £150,000 work attracted a lot controversy that no artist has admitted to creating it. The Unex Group, which is known to have commissioned the work, beforehand mentioned it was by the Uruguayan sculptor Pablo Atchugarry, however this was denied by the artist, who mentioned it was “an abuse” to recommend he made it.
Regardless of planning permission being turned down in 2014, it has been standing exterior the Constitution Home workplace block within the metropolis’s centre. Cambridge metropolis council has issued an enforcement discover to the Unex Group, which owns the land, ordering it to take away it by August.
Katie Thornburrow, government councillor for planning, constructing management, and infrastructure, wrote on her web site of its imminent removing: “No person, other than the rich property developer who commissioned it, appears to have an excellent phrase to say about it.”
She added: “I can be glad to see it gone, however stay indignant that builders might simply dump it in place after which drive the council to spend officers’ money and time getting them to take it away. We deserve higher.”
An enforcement discover issued by the Higher Cambridge Shared Planning Service on 5 March, mentioned it appeared the sculpture had been erected inside the final 4 years with out planning permission.
The discover mentioned it had a “dangerous materials affect” on the looks of the realm and needs to be completely eliminated inside 4 months from 11 April, until an attraction is made beforehand.
Invoice Gredley, chair of Unex Group, defended the work in 2014 and described it as a “spectacular piece of artwork”.
Cambridge metropolis council public artwork officer Nadine Black mentioned on the time it was “presumably the poorest high quality work that has ever been submitted to the council”.
She added: “It isn’t site-specific and is a piece already bought and has no relationship to this website. It’s too massive a scale for the context of the house will probably be positioned inside and can compromise the standard of the brand new improvement.”
Atchugarry mentioned in 2014: “I’m not the creator of this sculpture, and it’s an abuse that that they had used my title. I want any person would apologise to me for this misunderstanding.”