A $70,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts will help pay for the cost incurred to have the popular Zhang Huan “Three Heads Six Arms” massive sculpture in the Civic Center plaza. The total cost for the exhibit is about $150,000. The Board of Supervisors approved spending the grant Tuesday.

While the expense part seems to have gone pretty well for The City, an effort to try to hold on to the artwork longer seems to have failed and it will presumably be heading back to China in March. 

“We attempted through our various connections to try to address this issue and it seems like it’s a very big hurdle to overcome,” said Jill Manton, programs director for the Arts Commission, said last month.

jsabatini@sfexaminer.com