There’s another big obstacle to moving the Miami Marlins’ home run sculpture

Here’s another wrinkle in the debate over whether the colorful home run sculpture at Marlins Park should stay or go: the artist behind the piece, Red Grooms, might have ultimate sign-off on the sculpture’s placement.

The Miami Herald reports that Miami-Dade’s original agreement with Grooms over the government-owned sculpture includes language that Grooms could “disavow” the sculpture if it is ever moved.

“The work would lose all of its value,” county director of cultural affairs Michael Spring explained to the paper. “Our working assumption is we want the artist’s endorsement. The way to get that is to convince [him we can] be both respectful of the artwork and respectful of the artist.”

So if Marlins new CEO Derek Jeter really wants the $2.5 million sculpture out of the ballpark, he may have to convince Grooms to let him move it — and Grooms told the Miami Herald that he wants it to stay there.

• How a New Yorker could force Derek Jeter to keep the ‘Homer’ sculpture in Marlins Park [Miami Herald]
• The Marlins home run sculpture has some powerful enemies [Curbed Miami]
• The Miami Marlins’ “beautiful” home run sculpture apparently isn’t going anywhere [Curbed Miami]