High Five: 5 statues of stars that don't hit the mark
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April 10, 2018
Sculptures depicting stars are usually intended as an honor, but some of them end up as the butt of a joke. The bust of Cristiano Ronaldo at the airport of Madeira isn't the only flop.
Image: picture alliance/abaca
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Emanuel Santos just couldn't get over the criticism he had to endure after presenting his much-derided sculpture of Cristiano Ronaldo at the airport of Madeira. The artist dared to make a second work public.
His first attempt began in early 2017. The sculptor, born and raised on Madeira, learned that the Funchal airport was to be named after football star Cristiano Ronaldo, also from the Portuguese island. That incited Santos to form a bust of clay that he proudly presented to the airport authorities. Fascinated by the artwork, they agreed to have it cast in bronze and to put it up in the airport's entrance hall.
The world was still in order until the sculpture was unveiled in a pompous ceremony. Despite his surprised reaction, even Ronaldo was said to be pleased about it. At least he didn't protest against it.
But it didn't take long for the statue with to be ridiculed on social media, with memes focusing on Ronaldo's hanging left eye and his strange smile.
The US sports magazine Bleacher Report gave the sculptor a second chance by commissioning another statue of the footballer. Critics agree that the result looks at lot more like the original than the artist's first attempt. But some wonder whether a sculpture must in all cases resemble the original.
This week's High Five ranking shows that it's not always the case:
High Five: 5 enigmatic sculptures depicting European stars
Although the stars are big names, their statues don't always hit the mark. Here the strangest statues of European stars, from David Bowie to Colin Firth.
Image: DW
David Bowie
The British pop legend loved presenting himself creatively. Yet, it's unclear whether he would have liked this sculpture representing him as part man/part animal — perhaps an allusion to figures of Greek mythology. The sculpture is almost just as mysterious as David Bowie's life and works.
Image: DW
Colin Firth
This creepy depiction of the British actor toured Britain in 2013. The 3.6-meter (12-foot) statue made of fiberglass was originally part of a British broadcaster's advertising campaign. It represents an iconic scene from "Pride and Prejudice," in which Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy emerges from a lake.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Arnold Schwarzenegger
In 2011, the former Mister Universe gave himself his own sculpture. Intended to present the former bodybuilder at his physical best, the muscular bronze figure by American artist Ralph Crawford is three meters high and weighs more than 300 kilos (660 pounds). It stands in front of his former parents' home in the Austrian city of Graz, which is now a Schwarzenegger museum.
Image: DW
Gina Lollobrigida
Actress Gina Lollobrigida worked as a sculptor for decades. She designed the model for this six-meter-high statue herself. It stands in the Italian city of Pietrasanta. The artwork represents her in the role of Esmeralda in the 1956 film "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame," a highlight of her career.
Image: DW
Zinedine Zidane
The sculpture depicts one of the most tragic moments in the career of the French soccer legend. During the 2006 World Cup Final, and the last match of his professional career, Zidane headbutted his Italian opponent Marco Materazzi. He was given a red card and sent off. The scene was cast in bronze by Algerian artist Adel Abdessemed in 2012.