# Why are bronze statues of celebrities so horrible? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 11, 2023, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bronze-statues-of-celebrities-so-horrible/988416 "2023-08-11T18:09:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2025, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bronze-statues-of-celebrities-so-horrible/988416/101 "2025-05-08T15:12:19Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Most bronze statues are creepy looking. Agree. They remind me of the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz, only less lifelike. Or if more realistic, as if they’ll suddenly come to life and freak out passersby, like those shock artists who pose as potted shrubbery on city streets. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2025, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bronze-statues-of-celebrities-so-horrible/988416/102 "2025-05-08T16:08:06Z")
Depending on your point of view, [The Frank Sidebottom statue](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/30/Frank_Sidebottom_statue_Timperley_Manchester_.jpg/960px-Frank_Sidebottom_statue_Timperley_Manchester_.jpg) is about as close to real life as you can get 🙃 ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2025, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bronze-statues-of-celebrities-so-horrible/988416/103 "2025-05-08T20:04:20Z")
The artist of the Einstein statue created a replica and gave it to [Georgia Tech](https://ece.gatech.edu/sites/default/files/hg_media/2023-21/b16c6102b_einstein_invitation_09.jpg), where it sits on campus. Before it was even unveiled, the students had already named it “Fat Albert!” 😀 ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2025, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bronze-statues-of-celebrities-so-horrible/988416/104 "2025-05-08T23:43:39Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > One of my favorite modern bronze statues is a 2009 statue of Meir Dizengoff (1861-1936), founder and first mayor of Tel Aviv. It’s an equestrian statue that doesn’t try to be heroic - it just shows a pudgy guy on a horse, which is what he was. It succeeds, I think, because it takes the impressionistic route of trying to capture the spirit of a person without trying to be too realistic Agreed, and it doesn’t try to bring in the usual martial conventions of the “equestrian statue” style, which would look incongruous. Just a horse and rider going about their business. > [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > I understand that type of rider, but an Arabian horse was wasted on him. Eh, not every horse is hankering to burn up the track with their rider. Especially in the case of a rather chonky rider like Mayor Dizengoff, and a smaller finer-boned horse breed like the Arabian, a considerate equestrian is probably better off just ambling around town. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2025, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bronze-statues-of-celebrities-so-horrible/988416/105 "2025-05-09T11:37:12Z")
There’s a statue of Dante Alighieri outside an Italian-American center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Of course, I don’t know what Dante looked like in real life, but the statue is creepy as hell. It looks the way a Mother Superior would look in movies like _The Nun_. It’s got a severe face and soulless eyes. I tried to find a good picture to show this, but the photos I’ve dug up online don’t really convey the dread this statue induces. They look almost normal. But, I swear, if you look at the original you know that they encased a doomed soul in it, or something. > **[File:Dante Alighieri statue, Cambridge, Massachusetts - DSC00143.JPG](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dante_Alighieri_statue,_Cambridge,_Massachusetts_-_DSC00143.JPG)** This one’s better – you can see that the eyes look abnormal [https://boudewijnhuijgens.getarchive.net/amp/media/dante-alighieri-statue-cambridge-massachusetts-dsc00143-e9510b](https://boudewijnhuijgens.getarchive.net/amp/media/dante-alighieri-statue-cambridge-massachusetts-dsc00143-e9510b) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2025, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bronze-statues-of-celebrities-so-horrible/988416/106 "2025-05-09T19:54:37Z")
The Jim Henson statute on the campus of the University of Maryland is smiling and shows teeth. I think it works very well, is a good likeness and captures his personality well. > **[The Jim Henson Statue and Memorial Garden](https://stevenglassman.com/2020/11/11/the-jim-henson-statue-and-memorial-garden/)** > > A few months before I moved up here, I learned that there’s a statue and memorial to Muppet Creator and alumnus Jim Henson with Kermit the Frog at the University of Maryland. Jim created so m… On campus there is also a statue that is rubbed constantly like Molly Malone statue. This one is less problematic. The original statue of Testudo the Diamondback Terrapin statue is outside the entrance to the main library. It’s tradition to rub its snout for good luck especially before finals. Didn’t work for me. Apparently long after I left there students started leaving offerings during finals. The legend mentioned at the end of the article was alive and well when I was there. If a virgin ever graduated from the school the statute would fly around the quad. Hasn’t happened yet. > **[Testudo the Diamondback Terrapin, College Park, Maryland](https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/11456)** > > Bronze sculpture of the University of Maryland's feisty reptile mascot, well-rubbed by luck-seeking students before exams. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bronze-statues-of-celebrities-so-horrible/988416/107 "2025-06-25T16:19:50Z")
The answer to the question, is that they are not normally sculpted by world famous sculptors/ world renowned artists. They are produced by mediocre artists that local communities that commission these pieces can afford. You get what you pay for. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bronze-statues-of-celebrities-so-horrible/988416/108 "2025-06-25T17:28:21Z")
The horse store was all out of Clydesdales. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2025, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bronze-statues-of-celebrities-so-horrible/988416/109 "2025-08-17T03:50:42Z")
$500,000 MLK statue in Florida park disappoints. The disproportionate head, shoes, and arms were intentional, but critics think it looks like a caricature. The mayor says, “Maybe it didn’t come out the way everybody had hoped it would.” > **[Artist responds to mixed reactions to 'awkward' MLK statue unveiled in Florida](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/08/07/mlk-statue-winter-park-florida/85561105007/)** > > A statue of Martin Luther King Jr. has drawn mixed reactions from a community in Florida after it was dubbed "awkward" by some viewers. [![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2025/08/12/multimedia/00xp-mlk11/00xp-mlk11-superJumbo.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp) ](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2025/08/12/multimedia/00xp-mlk11/00xp-mlk11-superJumbo.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp) ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2025, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bronze-statues-of-celebrities-so-horrible/988416/110 "2025-08-17T04:09:15Z")
Well, it’s hard to tell what it looks like from ground level - hopefully not quite as out-of-proportion… In other photos, at least his face is recognizable, unlike the Lucy statue in the OP (faint praise indeed). ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2025, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bronze-statues-of-celebrities-so-horrible/988416/111 "2025-08-17T18:09:49Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > The disproportionate head, shoes, and arms were intentional, Could someone summarize the reasons? I’m not turning off my adblocker just to read it. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2025, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bronze-statues-of-celebrities-so-horrible/988416/112 "2025-08-17T18:20:06Z")
Nevermind. The arm is oversized to emphasize the power of the book [bible] he is holding. The shoes are oversized too emphasize a quote about having big shoes to fill. The head is oversized too give better visibility from more angles and distances in the park. Symbolism list in execution - just looks weird. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2025, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bronze-statues-of-celebrities-so-horrible/988416/113 "2025-08-17T18:55:28Z")
I’ve visited the Josephine Tussaud Wax Museum in Hot Springs National Park. The park is only an hours drive. I’ve visited the attractions there many times since childhood. The wax figures are very lifelike. Wax is a pliable sculpture medium. The figures are also clothed and wear jewelry similar to the real person. Others have pointed out that bronze is more difficult to sculpt and even the clothing has to be sculpted. A jacket in bronze looks different. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2025, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bronze-statues-of-celebrities-so-horrible/988416/114 "2025-08-17T19:24:21Z")
This reminded me of the Sybil Ludington statue. The artist captured in bronze a great expression of her yelling while riding; her face shows a heroic combination of energy, determination, and fatigue. Her hair looks wet and plastered to her skull as though she’s riding in the rain. She’s an example of how tricky bronze can be: even though the sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington did a good job, the uneven oxidation on Sybil’s face changes what was a dynamic action pose into something scary. [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Ludington_statue_800.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Ludington_statue_800.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2025, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bronze-statues-of-celebrities-so-horrible/988416/115 "2025-08-17T19:27:53Z")
He looks like a bobble head. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2025, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bronze-statues-of-celebrities-so-horrible/988416/116 "2025-08-17T20:03:17Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Nevermind. > > The arm is oversized to emphasize the power of the book [bible] he is holding. > The shoes are oversized too emphasize a quote about having big shoes to fill. > The head is oversized too give better visibility from more angles and distances in the park. > > Symbolism list in execution - just looks weird. Execution is everything. I’ve bought a few t-shirts that have a theme I liked, but they weren’t good t-shirts because the execution didn’t work. Sculpture is challenging. In this case, I thought the clay model for the bronze looked better than the finished product, even if it had the same underlying form. [![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2025/08/12/multimedia/00xp-mlk6/00xp-mlk-04-superJumbo.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp) ](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2025/08/12/multimedia/00xp-mlk6/00xp-mlk-04-superJumbo.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp) I would be interested to know if there are any artists who have created more than a half dozen decent non-abstract figurative bronze sculptures. ISTM that they need to dial back the creativity and focus on the fundamentals. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2025, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bronze-statues-of-celebrities-so-horrible/988416/117 "2025-08-17T21:09:35Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > I would be interested to know if there are any artists who have created more than a half dozen decent non-abstract figurative bronze sculptures. ISTM that they need to dial back the creativity and focus on the fundamentals. [Andy Edwards](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Edwards_(sculptor)) (mentioned above in relation to the Beatles and Lemmy) is one, for starters. [[also](https://www.cornoviiedwards.com/home)] While very naturalistic, they usually convey a powerful sense of their subject. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2025, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bronze-statues-of-celebrities-so-horrible/988416/118 "2025-08-18T02:23:34Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > I would be interested to know if there are any artists who have created more than a half dozen decent non-abstract figurative bronze sculptures. Well, Auguste Rodin you can count up the bronze figures. _The Kiss_ and _The Thinker_ are more famous, but _The Burghers of Calais_ is perhaps most powerful. Then there are figures of _The Age of Bronze_, _St. John The Baptist Preaching_, and _Balzac_. _The Burghers of Calais_ is six figures on its own, so much more than six over his career. [![](https://cdn.britannica.com/01/146201-050-E41362FA/Burghers-leaders-Calais-order-city-Auguste-Rodin-1347.jpg) ](https://cdn.britannica.com/01/146201-050-E41362FA/Burghers-leaders-Calais-order-city-Auguste-Rodin-1347.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2025, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bronze-statues-of-celebrities-so-horrible/988416/119 "2025-08-18T02:29:14Z")
Robert Graham, best known outside the art world as the late husband of Angelica Huston, could work bronze like it was butter. But he didn’t do much formal portraiture. In fact, probably his least well-received work was the giant suspended forearm and fist in Detroit commemorating boxer Joe Louis. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2025, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bronze-statues-of-celebrities-so-horrible/988416/120 "2025-08-18T02:56:54Z")
Rodin is awesome, worth a mention, and I highly recommend Musee Rodin’s sculpture garden in Paris, but I had living artists in mind, the kind that could still be commissioned by a proud and ambitious community. > **[Musée Rodin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mus%C3%A9e_Rodin)** > > The Musée Rodin (English: Rodin Museum) of Paris, France, is an art museum that was opened in 1919, primarily dedicated to the works of the French sculptor Auguste Rodin. It has two sites: the Hôtel Biron and surrounding grounds in central Paris, as well as just outside Paris at Rodin's old home, the Villa des Brillants at Meudon, Hauts-de-Seine. The collection includes 6,600 sculptures, 8,000 drawings, 8,000 old photographs and 7,000 objets d'art. The museum receives 700,000 visitors annually.... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bronze-statues-of-celebrities-so-horrible/988416.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bronze-statues-of-celebrities-so-horrible/988416.md?page=7)