THE controversial New Man statue, which was given a cardboard fig leaf to protect its modesty after government watchdogs branded it indecent, looks set to bare all again following an appeal by the owner.
Mr Justice Findlay did not make any ruling in the High Court yesterday, but implied he thought the Obscene Articles Tribunal (OAT) had no power to censor the nude bronze.
The judge said the late artist, Dame Elisabeth Frink, would have been 'astonished' at some of the tribunal's comments on her statue, which stands in the lobby of a Central office block owned by property company Kailey Enterprises.
Mr Justice Findlay said he went to inspect the bronze last week and asked for the fig leaf to be removed so he could see the statue as the artist intended.
Yesterday's appeal comes a week after the same judge overturned three other OAT rulings, including one on a picture of Michelangelo's statue of David, which had been deemed indecent.
In April, the tribunal ruled New Man was indecent, sparking widespread debate on obscenity laws and censorship. When a review panel upheld the decision in June, one tribunal member, Terence Chang Cheuk-cheung, resigned in protest.
No reason was given for the ruling, but the tribunal's presiding magistrate, Gregory Chan Kok-cheong, told the South China Morning Post he did not think a partially erect penis should be seen by juveniles.