Oscar Wilde Would Turn In His Grave......

Good grief!

Perhaps Oscar himself will come back and drop it on the artist's head.

Like that other hideous sculpture of Oscar Wilde by Maggi Hambling - I wonder where he'd like to shove that artist? I'll take one guess.

How much did this abomination cost? We've just had the horror of the Queen and Philip, now this. Is an enormous practical joke being played upon the general public? I don't think I have ever seen anything so ghastly.

Even worse than Maggi Hambling's. Well said, Merlin!

I’m obviously missing something, Art 🤷‍♀️

I guess this artist isn't a Wilde fan.

When I first saw it I thought someone had chopped the head off the Statue of Liberty.

There seems to be little sense of art and culture at the moment. All new buildings look like blocks of Lego, none of the official royal portraits have been worth space on the wall. There must be plenty of genuine, talented artists around, so why is this happening?

AreWeThereYet

I guess this artist isn't a Wilde fan.

When I first saw it I thought someone had chopped the head off the Statue of Liberty.

Not just me then!

Why is it on its side? Is it to disguise the fact that it looks nothing like him?

It reminds me of the time a few years ago when protesters toppled a statue of slave trader Edward Colston. They jumped on it, rolled it along the street and pushed it in to Bristol Harbour. This one looks ready made for the harbour.

You are right op, this statue is awful

Presumably someone commissioned that and paid for it. I’d ask for my money back!

Grannynannywanny

It reminds me of the time a few years ago when protesters toppled a statue of slave trader Edward Colston. They jumped on it, rolled it along the street and pushed it in to Bristol Harbour. This one looks ready made for the harbour.

😂

Poor Oscar Wilde, he has not been served well by sculptors.
There is a hideous representation of him on his tomb in Pere Lachaise cemetary by Jacob Epstein, unvailed in 1914.

I see this as a protest against the loss of erudite wit and humour in the World; toppled and shackled. Just a personal opinion of course.

Boz

I see this as a protest against the loss of erudite wit and humour in the World; toppled and shackled. Just a personal opinion of course.

Well Boz I think that is the kindest and possibly the most insightful response. Would have been better if it had looked like him just to give us a clue.

I think it was made by Eduardo Paolozzi and he died many, many years ago. Correct me if I am wrong. Why was this fright resurrected and by whom?

I totally agree, most recent representations of prominent figures in sculptural form, have been absolutely ghastly. I think that the worst I have seen was the one of Princess Diana - she was tall, slender and elegant, not the tubby frump that was portrayed.

it looks like Earl Spencer

Yes, I saw toppled and shackled too, but it reminded me of all those statues toppled during the Cold War broken up, no signage indicating silencing wit and literacy, love, fun.

The artist Sir Eduardo Paolozzi died in 2005 before he was able to complete the casting. The work has only recently been completed and exhibited using his notes and preliminary work. It is now on view in Chelsea.

Well Oscar wasn't actually conventional so maybe he'd have loved it. As tragedies go I think he would probably have more to worry about than a statue although personally if I was him I'd be much more upset by the Maggie Hambling one, called something like A Conversation with Oscar Wilde and it is truly hideous.

The one that makes him look as if he is made of pasta and emerging from a coffin?

🤣
Now that I must see!

@Indigo8 yes that one. I can't believe how truly awful it is. The one this thread is about is nowhere near as bad. In my opinion as some people probably love it. All I can say is should have gone to Specsavers.

Well, I don't want to cut slices out of the views expressed here, but I find this sculpture interesting and thoughtful (as is Maggi Hambling's). Of course, it won't find its way onto the lid of a chocolate box and nobody will make a fridge magnet out of it, but then popularity isn't really what makes art art, is it?

NonGrannyMoll

Well, I don't want to cut slices out of the views expressed here, but I find this sculpture interesting and thoughtful (as is Maggi Hambling's). Of course, it won't find its way onto the lid of a chocolate box and nobody will make a fridge magnet out of it, but then popularity isn't really what makes art art, is it?

I would agree but… the passerby must be able to recognise who it’s supposed to be to make sense of it.