A sculpture masterpiece is expected to attract global interest when it is auctioned off after being rediscovered in a headmaster's study over 60 years since it was last seen in public.
The significance of the bronze by the UK's pre-eminent sculptress, the late Dame Barbara Hepworth, was only realised after an archivist began looking at the history of Bryanston School in Dorset ahead of its centenary.
It could now raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for arts bursaries at the school where some of the most famous artists in the UK were educated including Lucian Freud and designer Sir Terence Conran.
The artwork, newly recognised as 'Single Form', was donated by Hepworth, one of the most important worldwide artists of the Twentieth Century, in 1963 to a Save the Children charity auction, just a year after she created it.
It was bought by a former Bryanston governor and was left to the school in 1975. Since then, it has presided over the tenure of five Headmasters until its recent rediscovery.
Headmaster Richard Jones said senior leaders and the school's Arts Advisory Board, which includes old girl actor Emilia Fox, faced a tough decision on whether to keep the statue or use it to fund future talented artists.
'It was not an easy decision to part with it, but we need to use the sculpture to make the most positive impact on pupils and we will ensure the provenance of that funding is always linked to the Hepworth name.'
And Mr Jones says the discovery could not have come at a better time as the school, where 1 in 5 pupils receive financial aid, was looking at making some tough decisions about cutting bursary spending after the Government's imposition of VAT on school fees.
'Like other schools in the sector, VAT on school fees will have a really significant impact on us and we are having to look at where we can make cuts and this will include what we can spend on bursaries.
'This find, which we hope will help to ensure our arts bursary funding, was perfectly timed in that sense.'
The sculpture, which has also been greeted with excitement by the Hepworth Estate, who had lost track of the artwork for half a century, will be auctioned in April at Dukes Auctioneers in Dorset.
Mr Jones added: 'Whoever buys this sculpture will not just be acquiring an incredible piece of art but will also be doing something philanthropic and helping to ensure the next generation of artists.'
Art expert Guy Schwinge from Hanover Forbes, called the piece 'a remarkable work by the most important female sculptor of the 20th century, adding: 'It is certain to appeal to collectors globally.'
Her works are considered of such national significance that in November last year a temporary export bar was placed on one of her sculptures which is up for auction in an attempt to find a British buyer for it and keep it in the UK.
Read more 2025-01-12T14:50:19Z