Couper Collection
Encyclopedia
The Couper Collection is a floating art museum and registered charity
, on converted barges, which is permanently moored at 51°28′51.39"N 0°10′8.51"W on the banks of the Thames in Battersea
, London
. It exhibits artworks and installations by artist Max Couper nee Lovegrove, 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 by then UK Home Secretary
Jack Straw
MP
.
Major works by the Couper Collection include:
The Couper Collection also has a permanent Museum of First Art containing children's artworks.
The Couper Collection is currently involved in a dispute with Hutchison Whampoa
and Norman Foster
regarding a land claim and Foster's plans to remove the charity's barges. Ken Livingstone
, has spoken in favour of the Collection. Foster's lawyers, Farrer and Co., have put in objections to the UK Land Registry - see Sunday Times article. The comedian Ruby Wax
has also attacked the charity, by opposing the building of a Disability Ramp which would allow disabled access to the gallery.
In January 2006, the Collection was visited by the River Thames whale
.
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
, on converted barges, which is permanently moored at 51°28′51.39"N 0°10′8.51"W on the banks of the Thames in Battersea
Battersea
Battersea is an area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is an inner-city district of South London, situated on the south side of the River Thames, 2.9 miles south-west of Charing Cross. Battersea spans from Fairfield in the west to Queenstown in the east...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. It exhibits artworks and installations by artist Max Couper nee Lovegrove, 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
Battersea Park
Battersea Park is a 200 acre green space at Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth in England. It is situated on the south bank of the River Thames opposite Chelsea, and was opened in 1858....
. In 1999 it was launched as a charity by then UK Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
Jack Straw
Jack Straw (politician)
John Whitaker Straw is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Blackburn since 1979. He served as Home Secretary from 1997 to 2001, Foreign Secretary from 2001 to 2006 and Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Commons from 2006 to 2007 under Tony Blair...
MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
.
Major works by the Couper Collection include:
- The Fleeting Opera with the Royal Opera HouseRoyal Opera HouseThe Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
and Judi DenchJudi DenchDame Judith Olivia "Judi" Dench, CH, DBE, FRSA is an English film, stage and television actress.Dench made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company. Over the following few years she played in several of William Shakespeare's plays in such roles as Ophelia in Hamlet, Juliet in Romeo...
(2000) - Couper's exhibition at The Museum of Contemporary Art (MuHKA), Antwerp (1996)
- Couper's exhibition at the Sprengel MuseumSprengel MuseumThe Sprengel Museum in Hanover houses one of the most significant collections of modern art in Germany. It is located in a building designed by Peter and Ursula Trint and Dieter Quast , adjacent to the Maschsee...
, HanoverHanoverHanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
(1997) - Couper's exhibition at the Lehmbruck Museum of sculpture, DuisburgDuisburg- History :A legend recorded by Johannes Aventinus holds that Duisburg, was built by the eponymous Tuisto, mythical progenitor of Germans, ca. 2395 BC...
(1997)
The Couper Collection also has a permanent Museum of First Art containing children's artworks.
The Couper Collection is currently involved in a dispute with Hutchison Whampoa
Hutchison Whampoa
Hutchison Whampoa Limited or HWL of Hong Kong is a Fortune 500 company and one of the largest companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. HWL is an international corporation with a diverse array of holdings which includes the world's biggest port and telecommunication operations in 14...
and Norman Foster
Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank
Norman Robert Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank, OM is a British architect whose company maintains an international design practice, Foster + Partners....
regarding a land claim and Foster's plans to remove the charity's barges. Ken Livingstone
Ken Livingstone
Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...
, has spoken in favour of the Collection. Foster's lawyers, Farrer and Co., have put in objections to the UK Land Registry - see Sunday Times article. The comedian Ruby Wax
Ruby Wax
Ruby Wax is a BAFTA nominated American comedian who made a career in the United Kingdom as part of the alternative comedy scene in the 1980s.-Early life:...
has also attacked the charity, by opposing the building of a Disability Ramp which would allow disabled access to the gallery.
In January 2006, the Collection was visited by the River Thames whale
River Thames whale
The River Thames whale was a juvenile female Northern Bottlenose whale which was discovered swimming in the River Thames in central London on Friday 20 January 2006. According to the BBC, she was five metres long and weighed about seven tonnes...
.