Calls to save modernist ‘Leaning Woman’ sculpture by Jewish refugee from Prague
Dr. Karen Vogel's iconic Hammersmith artwork is cracked and rusting with heritage campaigners now seeking £16,000 to save it
Londoners are being asked to help save a modernist sculpture in Hammersmith created by a Jewish refugee from Prague who fled the Nazis in 1938.
The Grade II-listed ‘Leaning Woman’, by Dr. Karen Vogel, faces the Great West Road and is one of the city’s best-loved pieces of art, but is sadly going to ruin, prompting a heritage group to try to raise £16,400.
Designed in 1958, the semi-nude figure – which is nearly twice life size and appears to float – was part of a post-War programme to bring art to Londoners.
However, the concrete has now cracked and the iron armature has become exposed and is rusting, say campaigners. Past repairs have failed and the area has recently become overgrown, with rough sleepers around it.
The statue, described as “exceptional” and “a much-loved Hammersmith landmark for over 60 years”, was put on the Heritage at Risk Register in 2017. Almost £33,000 of the £49,400 target has been pledged.
It was one of 41 pieces of post-War public art in England given protection by Historic England on account of their national significance and was described as “part of a precious national collection of art which we can all share”.
Vogel fled the Nazis in 1938, coming to England and teaching sculpture at several schools and colleges, including the Camberwell School of Art.
His work featured prominently at the 1951 Festival of Britain, visited by 8.5 million people on London’s South Bank, and at the Royal Academy summer exhibition.
A spokeswoman for Heritage of London Trust, which is running a crowdfunder on the Spacehive platform, said: “We really don’t have long to get this money together and we are pulling out all the stops to try and save this special piece.”
Other groups working to raise the money, which will also be used to clean up the area, include St Peter’s Residents Association and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
