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Article: Moscow's monumental woes. (controversy over Peter the Great sculpture in Moscow, Russia)
- Article from:
- Art in America
- Article date:
- July 1, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Brant Publications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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A sculpture nearing completion in the center of Moscow has provoked a serious debate on democracy, esthetics and public-decision making. The controversy centers on a more than 300-foot-high sculpture of Peter the Great by the artist Zurab Tsereteli. Tsereteli is known as a friend and favorite of the city's powerful mayor, Yury Luzhkov, and the artist has received the lion's share of municipal art commissions in recent years.
The sculpture itself -- a monument to the 300th anniversary of the Russian Navy -- is a clunky, overbearing construction that has been likened to a big toy soldier stuck atop a bunch of broken model ships. Critics have lambasted it for its ...