For a world class museum with an unparalleled collection of antiquities including Roman, Greek, Etruscan, Egyptian, African, and recently, collections from North America and Mexico, to display something so tasteless calls to question the integrity of the institution. This is a museum which showcases such works as the Rosetta Stone, The colossal Bust of Ramesses II, the Head of Amenhotep III, intricate pages of papyrus from the Book of Dead of Hurefer, and an extensive collection of mummies, including an inner coffin made of gold for Henutmehyt among so many other historic and priceless pieces.
I don't mind the extravagance of making a statue out of solid gold during these harsh times, (I suppose Britons are one of the few with the financial security to burn money, with the exception of fuel poverty of course) or that it's of an idealized female, which might have suggested a nod to other classic Greek or Roman sculptures, which would have made the venue seem like a logical choice, but the juxtaposition of her body can only be described as vulgar. I have a hard time just looking at the picture. Can you imagine meandering through the lovely Greek galleries and coming across this? Perhaps showing with artists such as Damien Hirst makes one nervous and desperate enough to "shock" viewers? Whatever the reasoning, I can honestly say that Saddam Hussein’s solid gold toilet is more beautiful and contemporary. I say melt it down, and feed a small country. --Eve
A 50kg solid gold statue of model Kate Moss has been unveiled at the British Museum, in London. The £1.5m sculpture, entitled Siren, is by artist Marc Quinn and is one of several contemporary sculptures in the exhibition Statuephilia. Each work has been sited in a different gallery within the museum, placed with items from its permanent collection. Quinn's sculpture is said to be the largest gold statue created since the time of Ancient Egypt.
'Ideal beauty' Described by the museum as an "Aphrodite of our times", it sits in the Museum's Nereid Gallery,alongside its statues of famous Greek beauties. Quinn, whose most famous work was Alison Lapper Pregnant, has said of using Moss as a subject: "I thought the next thing to do would be to make a sculpture of the person who's the ideal beauty of the moment.
The museum hopes it will remind visitors of its diverse collection"But even Kate Moss doesn't live up to the image."
Other artists in the exhibition include Damien Hirst and Antony Gormley. Hirst has addressed his fascination with death by filling the historic wall cases of the Enlightenment Gallery with 200 specially created skulls...
(Thanks Daniel in D.C.!)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/arts_and_culture/7647947.stm
2 comments:
I think the sculpture is a trenchant criticism of modern society -- a shrewd commentary on the fact that we all live in an age of pornography where the hegemony of the phallocentric worldview dominates everything......
Or it could be just a crappy sculpture......
To be serious for a minute, the "artist" obviously had a problem trying to come up with a fresh take on a person who has been photographed so often, but it seems to me that this particular solution is neither beautiful nor provocative.....so why call it a muse? I suppose Larry Flynt might buy it....
Agreed.
At first glace, one might think the artist is criticizing modern society’s views of women, of models, and what is considered idealized beauty, and the social plague that perpetuates intolerance and insecurity, the media. But alas, no. He actually thinks it's beautiful. An "Aphrodite of our times” my ass.
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