Why Do We Keep Making Ugly Celebrity Statues?

Celebrities are often remembered with statues after they pass away. But sometimes, these statues do not look like the celebrities they are supposed to represent. This was the case with the recent Tina Turner statue in her hometown of Brownsville, Tennessee. Fans were not happy with the statue. They said it did not look like Tina Turner at all. The statue's hair was too big and bulbous, and its smile was described as menacing. The statue's hands were also criticized for looking like claws. This is not the first time a celebrity statue has been criticized. In 2009, a statue of Lucille Ball in Celoron, New York, was nicknamed "Scary Lucy" because it looked more like a villain from a fairy tale than the beloved actress. Similarly, a statue of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2017 was infamously crooked and looked like it was made by a rival rather than an admiring fan. Other celebrities with bad statues include NBA star Dwyane Wade and late actor James Dean. So, why are these statues so bad? And why do people keep making them? It turns out that making a realistic statue of a celebrity is a difficult task. People have many reference points for celebrities, and a sculptor's attempt at a realistic depiction can often fall short. This is especially true when the statue is commissioned to be hyper-realistic. According to Alex Ungprateeb Flynn, a professor of art and anthropology at UCLA, the goal of sculpture is not to capture a true-to-life model of a person, but to capture their essence while playing with depth and positioning. Another factor that contributes to bad statues is the use of bronze. Bronze is a great material for sculpture, but when a deadline is imposed, the quality of the statue can suffer. This is because bronze statues are meant to last for hundreds or even thousands of years, and rushing the process can lead to a subpar result. Additionally, the growing immediacy to honor people we deem legendary can also contribute to the rush to create a statue. Mark Tribe, the MFA fine arts chair at the School of Visual Arts, points out that many contemporary artists are not interested in making realistic figurative sculptures of specific people. This is because the commissioning process often involves guidelines and deadlines that can limit the artist's creativity. The end result is a statue that sparks conversation about its resemblance to the celebrity rather than their legacy or impact.