Hambling's 'everywoman' figure baffles its critics
A sculpture celebrating the life of philosopher and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft is "not a conventional heroic or heroinic likeness" - and that's upset quite a lot of people. Alexandra Topping reports.
It took 200 years to get a statue honouring the life of pioneering philosopher and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, but its creators have faced criticism from almost the moment it was unveiled.
The new sculpture was met with dismay and bafflement by some when it was unveiled in north London on Tuesday, with critics asking why it did not directly depict Wollstonecraft and why the “mother of feminism” had been celebrated with a naked female form.
The sculpture, which shows a silvery naked everywoman figure held up by a swirling mingle of female forms, is the product of 10 years of hard graft and persistent fundraising by the Mary on The Green campaign, which raised the £143,000 required for its creation.
But on Tuesday some critics described the artwork – created by Maggi Hambling, one of Britain’s most important and occasionally controversial artists – as a missed opportunity... Keep reading on the Guardian
It took 200 years to get a statue honouring the life of pioneering philosopher and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, but its creators have faced criticism from almost the moment it was unveiled.
The new sculpture was met with dismay and bafflement by some when it was unveiled in north London on Tuesday, with critics asking why it did not directly depict Wollstonecraft and why the “mother of feminism” had been celebrated with a naked female form.
The sculpture, which shows a silvery naked everywoman figure held up by a swirling mingle of female forms, is the product of 10 years of hard graft and persistent fundraising by the Mary on The Green campaign, which raised the £143,000 required for its creation.
But on Tuesday some critics described the artwork – created by Maggi Hambling, one of Britain’s most important and occasionally controversial artists – as a missed opportunity... Keep reading on the Guardian