Original design for Hepworth's John Lewis Winged Figure to be auctioned for the first time

"I think one of our universal dreams is to move in air and water without the resistance of our human legs. I wanted to evoke this sense of freedom. If the Winged Figure in Oxford Street gives people a sense of being airborne in rain and sunlight and nightlight I will be very happy. It is a project I have long wished to fulfil and this site with its wonderful oblique wall was quite perfect."

"It was granted a Grade II* listing in January 2016. Notably, the building it's attached to is not listed - so in theory the John Lewis store could be demolished, but the sculpture would have to remain in place on the replacement building. Only four such large-scale Winged Figures exist; the other three reside in museum collections (McNay Art Museum, USA; Artizon Museum, Japan; and Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, UK)."

Original model of Winged Figure I by Barbara Hepworth, conceived in 1957 and later enlarged in 1963 into a 17 meter cast-aluminium version for the John Lewis Partnership, is offered for sale by Bonhams. The John Lewis commission sought a contemporary artwork to express the idea of common ownership and common interests in a partnership of thousands of workers. The exterior cast-aluminium sculpture on John Lewis Oxford Street received Grade II* listing in January 2016, while the building itself remains unlisted, meaning any replacement building must retain the sculpture. Only four large-scale Winged Figures exist; the Bonhams example was acquired directly from Hepworth's studio in 1968. Public viewings precede the sale, and the model carries an estimate of £800,000–£1,200,000.

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