Couper Collection
The Couper Collection was a registered charity, which for many years exhibited its art in a floating gallery on converted barges, moored on the banks of the Thames in Battersea, London. It exhibited artworks and installations by artist , as well as hosting exhibitions and events by other artists. The Collection began in 1979 as a base for a large sculpture in Battersea Park. In 1999 it was launched as a charity[1] by then UK Home Secretary Jack Straw MP. The Collection no longer exists.
Works[]
Major works by the Couper Collection included:
- The with the Royal Opera House and Judi Dench (2000)
- Couper's exhibition at The Museum of Contemporary Art (MuHKA), Antwerp (1996)
- Couper's exhibition at the Sprengel Museum, Hanover (1997)
- Couper's exhibition at the Lehmbruck Museum of sculpture, Duisburg (1997)
The Couper Collection also hosted a Museum of First Art containing children's artworks.
Challenged mooring rights & closure[]
In 2006, the Couper Collection was involved a dispute with Hutchison Whampoa and the Port of London Authority regarding a land claim at Albion Riverside and Foster and Partners's plans to remove the charity's barges.[2] Foster's lawyers, Farrer & Co, put in objections to the UK Land Registry.[3][full citation needed] Max Couper claimed "ancient mooring rights", but in 2013 Justice Arnold ruled that the barges were illegally moored and should be removed,[4] and Hutchison Whampoa sought to enforce the ruling with a further High Court order to "dispose of or destroy" the gallery. The PLA offered alternative mooring sites, which Couper declined.[2]
The gallery no longer exists, although in 2020 the website was still operational.[5] The charity was removed from the Charity Commission's register in 2018.[6]
The litigation was long, and complex. Proceedings were first issued in 2006.[7] In 2017 Justice Arnold granted an extended civil restraint order against Max and Magdalena Couper.[8] The final judgement in the litigation was later in 2017, when Couper attempted to sue his solicitors and counsel in the earlier proceedings.[9]
The vessels have been sold.[10] In 2020 the boats were moored in Rotherhithe.[11]
References[]
- ^ "Couper Collection". Charity Commission.
- ^ a b "Judi Dench protests against floating art gallery eviction".
- ^ "The Times & The Sunday Times".
- ^ "Couper & Anor v Albion Properties Limited & Ors [2013] EWHC 2993 (Ch)". Retrieved 22 November 2020.
- ^ "The Couper Collection". Retrieved 22 November 2020.
- ^ "Charity Commission: Couper Collection Charitable Trust". Retrieved 22 November 2020.
- ^ "Couper & Anor v Albion Properties Limited & Ors [2017] EWHC 22 (Ch) at 1". Retrieved 22 November 2020.
- ^ "Couper & Anor v Albion Properties Limited & Ors [2017] EWHC 22 (Ch) at 100". Retrieved 22 November 2020.
- ^ "Couper v Irwin Mitchell LLP & Ors [2017] EWHC 3231 (Ch)". Retrieved 22 November 2020.
- ^ "Couper & Anor v Albion Properties Limited & Ors [2017] EWHC 22 (Ch) at 17". Retrieved 22 November 2020.
- ^ "Twitter: Couper Collection barges in Rotherhithe". Retrieved 22 November 2020.
External links[]
Coordinates: 51°28′51″N 0°10′9″W / 51.48083°N 0.16917°W
 | This article related to an art display, art museum or gallery in the United Kingdom is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by . |
- Art museums and galleries in London
- Defunct museums in London
- Museums in the London Borough of Wandsworth
- Art collections in the United Kingdom
- United Kingdom art museum and gallery stubs