London: a sculpture of a nude feminist is debated

A monument dedicated to British feminist Mary Wollstonecraft was unveiled in London on Tuesday, drawing praise but also criticism, some regretting the choice to represent her nude.

Share November 10, 2020 2:06 p.m. Share London: A sculpture representing a naked feminist is debated Agence France-Presse LONDON – A monument dedicated to the British feminist Mary Wollstonecraft was unveiled in London on Tuesday, generating praise but also criticism, some regretting the choice of the represent nude.

Mary Wollstonecraft was one of the first feminist thinkers. Her 1792 book, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman , argued for women to have the same rights as men.

His daughter Mary Shelley wrote the Gothic novel Frankenstein .

After Mary Wollstonecraft's death at age 38 in 1797, her fame as a woman of letters suffered from revelations about her tumultuous personal life, but her major role is recognized today.

The silver sculpture paying homage to him consists of an abstract form surmounted by a small nude female figure. Created by British artist Maggi Hambling, it was installed in a north London square after a campaign led by admirers.

The British founder of the online tour operator Lastminute.com, Martha Lane Fox, said on Twitter that this statue was “fantastic” to pay tribute to a “brave thinker”.

Yet its design received mixed reviews, with conservative The Daily Telegraph even finding it “embarrassing.”

Some have wondered if a man of equivalent stature would have been depicted naked.

“I think it would have been nice to commemorate Mary Wollstonecraft with her clothes,” tweeted British novelist JoJo Moyes.

But the sculptor who did the work told The Evening Standard that Mary Wollstonecraft “is all women and (that) clothing would have restricted her.”