Nearly 30 years of grime removed to restore sculpture to former glory
A PROMINENT piece of public art has undergone extensive conservation as part of a project to improve the flourishing John Bright Street area of Birmingham city centre.
The sculpture by artist Lee Grandjean, called Birmingham Figure, was commissioned in 1987 by the city’s Development Department, in collaboration with the John Bright Street Traders Association.
It is part of the portfolio of public artworks managed by Birmingham Museums Trust.
Retail BID Birmingham worked with the Museums Trust on the project.
The BID is also spearheading a project to deep clean John Bright Street through a programme of pavement jet washing and the installation of a new flower tower to make the area more attractive to visitors.
John Bright Street has seen numerous bars and restaurants open in recent months including The Stable, Cherry Reds, Brew Dog and Turtle Bay, along with plans for a new seafood restaurant called Peninsula Lobster in the historic Futurist Cinema building.
Birmingham-based Mareva Conservation, a practice specialising in the conservation of historic buildings, memorials, sculptures and decorative surfaces, carried out the work on the sculpture, which involved surface cleaning to remove moss and algae growth, dirt, stains, graffiti and gum.
Repairs have also been made to the structure involving the removal of old delaminating fills and reinstating areas of missing limestone.
An application of a graffitiproof top coat has been applied to help protect the sculpture for future generations.
Mareva director Veronika Vlkova said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed undertaking this conservation project and having the opportunity to bring the sculpture back to its original splendid appearance.
“The Birmingham Figure sculpture is made out of a beautiful Lepine limestone and comprises of three blocks placed on top of one another. It took the artist about 12 months to carve.
“When I first visited the sculpture for an initial assessment it was in a rather poor state. The limestone had suffered deterioration and had also suffered heavily from graffiti. Furthermore, large areas of missing stone were filled with a resinous material and there were multiple coatings applied to disguise the damage.”