MYworLD- Pia MYrvoLD - flowers for a sculpture removed!
In my native Norway, the Stavanger Art Society decided to sell the one treasure they had, a great Barbara Hepworth from 1968, in order to finance the daily cost of running the gallery space, who has suffered 10 years of no-direction management with no interest to a larger public or membership mass.
Like a 60ies MadMen sign of a particular period aesthetic style, I have looked at this sculpture all my life, by the entrance to one of my first solo-shows in this institution. A great sadness, to see this wonderful work removed, and to think of that generation culture builders, who cherished this gallery, and where both exhibitions, concerts and parties of great quality occurred during the 60ies and the 70ies. The young generation taking over feels no such nostalgia, a piece of their grandparents work heritage sold to the highest bidder.
After having placed a flower on this grave, and fough back some tears, I felt that my flowers where too small! I might have to go back with a larger bouquet!

#7: -

A fine obituary over the sculpture, Pia Myrvold. Many people have a relationship to this great work of art. I was there as a kid when it was put in place and as a young architect my first job was employment in London. I lived then in Hampstead and the village still had an air of the spirit of Hepworth, Moore and Nicholson. Years later I worked for the architect that refurbished Kunstforeningen, Thoralf Bryne, and I learnt to respect its original architect Erik Erga. He also designed the Krematoriet in Stavanger. We bougth our first house and it was a great design from 1929 by the very same Erik Erga and we still live there. But, alas...these are great memories, like yours are. But they loose against facts. The facts are: only 40 people made the decision to slaugther the Hepworth to grab hold of the money. They represented only 10% of the members. This grave decision should have been made by a majority vote among all its 400 members. The city og Stavanger has 130. 000 inhabitants, the sculpture was donated to them back in 1968, not to the 40! A vote should perhaps have been demanded among them, the 130.000? Anyway, the thing is; the slaughter has taken place and a decision is made. We, who were fighting fiercly throughout the Easter to stop it have lost! We are the loosers now, but in due time and am convinced of this, we will not remain the loosers! The loosers will be the 40, their allies as well as the city of Stavanger's politicians that again documented political footwork that would fail badly in any exam in a first year school of politics. The fight is over yet it remains to write the history of the event and how only 40 people managed to outplay us all during the quiet Easter week. This was a well staged robbery and the names of the 40 will be historic and should be published immediately since they seem very proud of what they have achieved.