Buzz
Statues often become focal points for heated debates. Frequently crafted to honor notable figures, events, or objects, they are sometimes mired in controversy. In certain cases, protests and even riots have erupted in response to statue-related disputes.
The controversy surrounding statues is not confined to just a few nations. In the U.S., statues of Confederate leaders and generals have long been subjects of contention. Similarly, statues of figures like the Devil, Hitler, and even a dog have ignited similar conflicts elsewhere.
10. Lucifer of Liege
The Lucifer of Liege is a statue located within the St. Paul Cathedral in Liege, Belgium. Its official title is Le genie du mal (The Genius of Evil) and it was sculpted by Guillaume Geefs in 1848.
The Genius of Evil wasn't the original statue of Lucifer created for the church. That honor goes to L’ange du mal (The Angel of Evil), which was sculpted by Guillaume's brother, Joseph, in 1842. The unveiling of The Angel of Evil sparked immediate controversy as church leaders believed its beauty was too suitable for the Devil and feared it would have a harmful influence on the children attending the church.
In response, Guillaume was commissioned to sculpt a replacement. This new sculpture, though equally beautiful, depicts the Devil with wings that curve around him like a protective wall. He also has small horns on his head, sharp claws instead of toenails, and a partially eaten apple lying at his feet.
9. Brown Dog Statue
The brown dog statue in Battersea, London, was at the heart of a heated controversy that sparked violent riots in the early 1900s. The original statue, which was the cause of the unrest, was replaced with a new one after it led to a series of protests and clashes between vivisectionists (those in favor of animal experimentation) and anti-vivisectionists (those opposed to it).
Unveiled in 1906 by anti-vivisectionists, the original statue was a tribute to all dogs, particularly one brown dog that had been subjected to a series of surgeries over two months at University College, London, in 1903. A plaque affixed to the statue criticized the practice of using dogs in experiments.
The vivisectionists were offended by the inscription on the plaque. On December 10, 1907, 1,000 medical students who supported vivisection staged a protest against the statue in Trafalgar Square, while another 100 gathered in Battersea. Fearing for the statue’s safety, the police began providing round-the-clock protection.
In 1910, the police and the city council decided to remove the statue. Four city officials, accompanied by 120 police officers, carried out the removal covertly under the cover of night. The statue was believed to have been melted down two years later. The anti-vivisectionists replaced it in 1985, and the replacement has remained intact ever since.
8. J. Marion Sims
J. Marion Sims is often called the father of modern gynecology. In the 1840s, he developed a surgical treatment for vesicovaginal fistula (VVF), a condition that causes the bladder to leak into the vagina, typically as a result of childbirth. In addition to his work on VVF, Sims also founded New York's first hospital for women and introduced innovative surgical techniques to address medical issues specific to women.
Despite his contributions to women's health, Sims remains a deeply controversial figure. He conducted his experiments on enslaved black women, testing VVF surgeries without anesthesia. Some women underwent multiple surgeries without consent or pain relief.
In recognition of his work, Sims was honored with a statue in Central Park, while the enslaved women who endured his experiments received no acknowledgment. This statue has been the center of debate since 1959 and was eventually taken down in April 2018, following protests.
7. Blue Mustang
Blue Mustang is a striking 9.8-meter (32 ft) blue horse statue located outside Denver International Airport. This artwork is as polarizing as it is notorious. Its detractors even dubbed it 'Blucifer.'
The statue's controversial reputation is easy to understand. Its glowing red neon eyes are a major point of contention. Created by sculptor Luis Jimenez to symbolize the Wild West, many feel it instead gives off a devilish and unattractive vibe. Adding to the mystery is the fact that Jimenez tragically lost his life when a part of his creation fell on him.
Commissioned in 1993, Luis Jimenez began work on the statue but did not live to see its completion, passing away in 2006. His sons finished the sculpture, which was unveiled at the airport in 2008. The public reaction was swiftly negative. Some even suggested relocating the statue within the airport to lessen its visibility. Despite this, the authorities decided to leave it in place, hoping that over time, people would become accustomed to it.
6. Pissing Pug
In May 2017, artist Alex Gardega placed a pug statue near the iconic Fearless Girl and Charging Bull on Wall Street in New York City. While Charging Bull has stood on Wall Street since 1985, Fearless Girl was added earlier that year in 2017.
Kristen Visbal, the creator of Fearless Girl, stated her intention was simply to make a statement about gender equality. However, Arturo Di Modica, the artist behind Charging Bull, expressed his opposition to the installation of Fearless Girl in front of his statue, arguing that it distorted the message of his bull, which was never intended to symbolize gender equality.
Gardega, however, did not share the same perspective on Fearless Girl's purpose. He saw it as a mere advertisement, since it was funded by the major asset management firm State Street Global Advisors. In response, Gardega created a small pug statue, which he placed peeing on the girl as a form of protest.
The pug statue stirred controversy, especially among feminists and women’s rights activists, who quickly voiced their disapproval. Actress Debra Messing even called Gardega a “misogynistic, pathetic bastard.” Fearing the pug might be stolen, Gardega removed it just three hours after unveiling it.
5. Karl Marx Statue
Karl Marx, widely acknowledged as the father of Communism, developed political theories that are still studied in countries like China. Known as Marxism, his ideas are highly controversial and generally rejected in Western countries. Given Marx's history and the West's opposition to his views, the unveiling of his 4.5-meter (15 ft) statue in Trier, Germany, sparked significant debate.
The controversy surrounding the statue was compounded by the fact that it was a gift from China. The Trier town council spent two years debating whether to accept the statue, fearing that doing so might imply support for the human rights abuses of the Chinese government.
The German branch of Pen, an international organization of writers, stated that the statue should not be unveiled unless China freed Liu Xia, the wife of the late Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, who had been under house arrest at the time.
Around the time the statue was unveiled in Trier in May 2018, Chinese premier Xi Jinping delivered a speech in which he praised Marx and his ideology. Meanwhile, Wolfram Leibe, the mayor of Trier, described the statue as nothing more than a "gesture of friendship."
4. Statue Of Unity
While we've primarily discussed finished statues so far, we now look at a case of an unfinished statue causing quite a stir. If it has sparked debate before its completion, imagine the controversies it could stir once it’s finally revealed.
The Statue of Unity is under construction in India. Once completed, it will stand at an impressive 182 meters (597 ft), earning the title of the tallest statue in the world. For context, the current record-holder is the 153-meter-tall (502 ft) Buddha in China. The Statue of Liberty stands at 93 meters (305 ft) tall, including its base. The monument will honor Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India’s first deputy prime minister, and one of the key figures in the country's independence movement.
The statue has faced widespread criticism, particularly for its £200 million price tag and the concerns that it carries political overtones. Detractors argue that if Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel were alive, he would never have allowed such an amount to be spent on his own statue. They also contend that the funds would have been better used to alleviate poverty among millions of Indians.
There are also suspicions that Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who was behind commissioning the statue, may have been using Patel's image to boost his own political agenda. Modi himself had previously stated that Patel would have made a better prime minister than Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first PM. As of now, the Statue of Unity is almost finished.
3. Him
Him is a sculpture depicting Adolf Hitler kneeling in prayer. While Hitler himself is already a contentious figure, the piece would likely have avoided controversy if its creator, Maurizio Cattelan, hadn't chosen to place it in the former Warsaw ghetto in Poland in 2012. This site holds deep historical significance, as around 300,000 Jews either perished or were deported to concentration camps from the Warsaw ghetto during World War II.
The statue sparked outrage, particularly among the Jewish community. The Simon Wiesenthal Center, an organization advocating for Jewish rights, condemned it as both insensitive and insulting to the Jews who perished at the hands of the Nazis. Efraim Zuroff, the center's director in Israel, remarked, “Hitler’s only ‘prayer’ was that they [the Jews] be wiped off the face of the earth.”
On the other hand, Cattelan and his supporters defended the statue, asserting that it was meant to provoke reflection on how seemingly innocent things could be twisted into something evil.
2. Replica Of Christ The Redeemer
While the famous Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is well known, a similarly towering statue stands in Lima, Peru. This 37-meter (121 ft) replica was commissioned in 2011 by Peru’s then-president, Alan Garcia, as a personal gift to the people of Peru.
The statue's construction was a collaborative effort funded by Brazil-based engineering giant Odebrecht and President Garcia. While Garcia contributed 100,000 Peruvian soles, Odebrecht’s contribution totaled $830,000. But Odebrecht's financial input wasn’t purely philanthropic – it had secured a lucrative contract to build a highway linking Brazil and Peru, providing it with ample funds for the project.
The statue faced considerable backlash, with more critics than supporters. Many disapproved of its extravagant cost and lack of originality. Some found it absurd that Garcia would allocate such a large sum to replicate a more iconic statue.
The statue didn’t sit well with many Peruvian architects. Students of architecture organized several protests to express their dissatisfaction. Augusto Ortiz de Zevallos, a renowned architect, called it “excessive and authoritarian” while criticizing its lack of originality. He even drew comparisons to statues of historical figures like Stalin, Mussolini, and Hitler.
1. Petra
In 2011, artist Marcel Walldorf sparked a controversy in Dresden, Germany, with the unveiling of Petra, a provocative statue featuring a policewoman in riot gear squatting to urinate. A puddle of gelatin was used on the ground to simulate her urine.
Walldorf had entered this piece into a competition organized by the Leinemann Foundation for Fine Arts, where it earned first place and a €1,000 prize. The statue was then displayed at the Academy of Fine Arts, setting the stage for the ensuing uproar.
The statue was met with widespread criticism, with many deeming it disrespectful to police officers. The German police union claimed it crossed the boundaries of artistic expression. Numerous individuals sent letters to the academy, voicing their outrage. Andrea Weippert, a spokesperson for the academy, tried to downplay the backlash, claiming that most of the responses they received were positive.
