GOVERNMENT ministers cannot stop the sale of a valuable statue which has captivated thousands at Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
But the proposed sale of the Henry Moore sculpture by a London borough council was labelled “lamentable” by Culture Minister Ed Vaizey.
He told a Westminster Hall debate he would not support the sale of Draped Seated Woman by Tower Hamlets Borough Council, which is due to go under the hammer at Christie’s next year.
The ownership of the sculpture is disputed, but Tower Hamlets mayor Lutfar Rahman wants to sell the artwork in a bid to close a funding gap on the council’s books.
Mr Vaizey said an independent committee could recommend an export ban on the statue, but this would only buy time for a domestic buyer to raise funds – and would not delay the sale indefinitely.
He said first and foremost the dispute over ownership, which followed the decision for the statue to be gifted to the old London County Council in 1965, should be resolved.
He said he had contacted the auctioneers Christie’s urging them to investigate the situation. But he added: “I have to stress again it is not an outcome central government can dictate.”
The artwork, worth up to £20m, has been at Yorkshire Sculpture Park at Bretton since 1997.
