HomeMy WebLinkAbout5/14/2015 - City Arts Commission - 06 Staff Report Metalphor RestorationRECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the Arts Commission approve the allocation of funds to restore the sculpture,
Metalphor.
FUNDING REQUIREMENTS:
The cost of restoration from Display Inc. is estimated at $10,000. An additional quote from Lanzini Art
Restoration is pending. Restoration and repair of the statue will be expensed from the Lenahan Trust
(Account No. 4093-8200).
DISCUSSION:
The sculpture Metalphor was donated to the City of Newport Beach 1986. Created by Bret R. Price,
Metalphor was originally placed outside the Newport Beach City Hall for part of 1986 and 1987, until it
was moved to the front of the Newport Center Library. The royal blue painted steel abstract work,
which weighs 1,400 pounds and is 8½ feet tall, was the centerpiece of the 22nd annual Newport Beach
City Art Festival in 1986. Warren Hancock, a Newport Beach art collector, donated the $15,000
sculpture. The City Arts Commission at that time was allowed to pick from Hancock's several sculptures
and chose Metalphor. The curvilinear form was created by intense heating of the metal to make it
malleable. The steel sheets were repeatedly bent and rolled during this period of elasticity to give it "a
sense of softness (and an) illusion of flexibility," sculptor Price explained.
When the Newport Center Library closed in 1994, Metalphor was relocated to a grassy area beneath a
bluff on the east side of the intersection of Superior Avenue and West Coast Highway.
The piece requires restoration work. Metalphor has endured great deal of exposure to the elements.
The royal blue paint has faded and there are signs of corrosion. There are patches of discoloration and
some oxidization.
These photos, taken to document Metalphor’s condition, were taken on May 6th, 2015:
TO: CITY ARTS COMMISSION
FROM: Library Services Department
Tim Hetherton, Library Services Director
949-717-3810, thetherton@newportbeachca.gov
PREPARED BY: Tim Hetherton
TITLE: Metalphor Restoration
Dave Aeppli of Display Art Services estimates restoration costs at $10,000. Restoration will include
taking the piece off site for surface repair and power coating. Lanzini Art Restoration was also asked to
provide a quote which will be submitted to staff on Wednesday, May 13.
Staff recommends using the Lenahan trust to fund the restoration work. These funds were donated to
the City of Newport Beach along with a collection of Elisabeth Wiltrout Longridge paintings in 2011.
Subject to recommendation from the Arts Commission, the funds were provided for arts related matters
for or relating to the City but not for regular operational costs of the Arts Commission or the City.
NOTICING:
This agenda item has been noticed according to the Brown Act (72 hours in advance of the meeting at
which the City Arts Commission considers the item). d a graph describing any methods of notification, if
applicable.]