A sculpture created for the Festival of Britain and then seemingly lost has been discovered, in a Londoner’s back garden. It’s now been acquired by the Museum of London with the intention to put it back on public display again.
Original of Youth at Festival of Britain (c) Henrion family archive
Called Youth, the sculpture by British sculptor Daphne Hardy Henrion was prominently located in front of 51 bar, which was designed by architect Leonard Manasseh on the South Bank.
The artist made a full-size cast for herself, which she later placed in her garden in London, and there it remained until it was rediscovered by Sarah Gaventa, an independent curator who is an expert in the lost art of the Festival of Britain.
Since the museum acquired it, the sculpture has undergone extensive restoration work, by Taylor Pearce conservation studios, to repair a damaged arm and hand, and revive the darkened surface, which had deteriorated over time. The sculpture will now join the museum’s London Collection alongside other memorabilia documenting the history of the festival, including posters and printed material, as well as a model of the South Bank site.
Sarah Gaventa, public art expert and curator, said: “It was such a surprise to uncover Youth hidden behind a fig tree in a front garden in Hampstead where she had been standing for nearly 70 years. I am delighted to have been the matchmaker between the Henrion family and the Museum of London to find this important work a new home and to ensure its preservation.”
Cast being prepared for removal to Museum (c) Museum of London
Daphne Hardy Henrion established herself as a figurative sculptor when abstraction was prevalent in the mid-20th century and was influenced by classical and Italian Renaissance sculpture. She trained at the Royal Academy Schools in London from 1934-37 and was awarded a two year travelling scholarship and Gold Medal when she finished her studies aged just 19. Following two years studying Italian and French art, she moved to Paris in early summer 1939, at the outbreak of war, and remained there until after the Nazi invasion in May 1940. She spent most of the war in London where she met and later married the designer FHK Henrion, who designed two pavilions for the Festival of Britain. Her early post-war work includes a memorial to the victims of Belsen created in 1946.
Another “lost” sculpture from the Festival of Britain can be currently seen in Waterloo station, and will be on display until late 2025.
Fascinating story, but we are left wondering whether or not the family from which the Museum of London acquired the sculpture had been the legitimate owners? The choice of the term “lost art” connotes the possibility (but not certainty) that the sculpture might have been either stolen or rescued from a skip, and strikes me as an inappropriate (possibly defamatory) descriptor if it turns out that it had been sold or gifted to the owners/tenants/residents of that house in Hampstead. The Museum of London really ought to have clarified this in their statement (assuming the provenance is not still under active investigation).
The provenance is well known – no need to suggest problems unless you have actual evidence of it first.