SAVE Britain’s Heritage and the Twentieth Century Society are supporting a listing bid to Historic England, the government’s adviser on heritage, to protect and celebrate this important work by Hungarian artist, George Mayer-Marton.
The mural, known as the ‘The Five Joyful Mysteries of the Virgin’s Rosary’, is under imminent threat – with bulldozers already starting work on the former school site, the home of the artwork.
This impressive 1954 work by Mayer-Marton, which covers an area approximately 26m2, was created for the entrance hall of the St Ambrose Barlow Secondary School before it was covered over and believed lost. It is the only known surviving mural painted wholly in the ‘true fresco’ technique by the artist, where paint is applied to wet plaster.
In an exciting recent development, tests to uncover the mural have revealed that it appears to be intact and could be recovered.
A new home is now urgently needed for this significant work, to allow for Salford City Council’s plans for the former school site to be redeveloped as housing.
Henrietta Billings, director of SAVE Britain’s Heritage, says, “This is an incredible discovery – a rare and beautifully crafted mural by George Mayer-Marton, a highly accomplished post-war artist who lived and worked for many years in Greater Manchester and Liverpool. According to a recent conservator’s report, it appears to remain intact under a layer of modern plaster and is recoverable. We are backing calls for its urgent protection and national recognition through listing. It needs a secure future and a new home so that its powerful artistry can be revealed and enjoyed for years to come.”
Oli Marshall, campaigns director at the Twentieth Century Society, says, “Uncovering an extraordinary lost fresco sounds like a story straight out of the ruins of Pompeii, but it’s happened right here in a Salford secondary school. Over recent years we’ve seen many examples of historic murals that have been successfully relocated, which is exactly what we’re hoping will now happen with the Mayer-Marton mural. Let’s get it nationally listed and find this exquisite work of art a happy new home, to make way for the much needed new housing that’s planned for the former school site.”
Nick Braithwaite, great nephew of George Mayer-Marton, says: “We are calling on Historic England to list this outstanding artwork as a matter of urgency. This significant piece tells the story of Mayer-Marton’s early work after arriving in Britain and predates his now grade II-listed mural in Oldham. I strongly believe that this mural deserves that same, national recognition.”
Professor Clare Willsdon, Professor of the History of Western Art, University of Glasgow, says, “It occupies a highly important place both in Mayer-Marton’s oeuvre and in the history of mural decoration in post-war Europe, and it is vital that it is saved for future generations.”
Artworks by Mayer-Marton are held in the V&A, the British Museum, the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery in Swansea, the Scottish National Gallery and the Belvedere Gallery in Vienna.
Historic England is considering evidence regarding the mural’s recoverability and is due to make a recommendation early this week.
