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Nude woman unveiled on Trafalgar Sq
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| Artist Marc Quinn carved Alison Lapper Pregnant from white Carrera marble in northern Italy |
A new 13-tonne sculpture of a disabled artist eight months into her pregnancy will be unveiled today in Trafalgar Square.
Alison Lapper Pregnant, by artist Marc Quinn, will remain on the square's fourth plinth for 18 months.
Born with no arms and very short legs, Lapper grew up in a children's home when her family rejected her.
She survived an abusive relationship and became an independent artist known for her work exploring the beauty of her own naked body.
Quinn, who also uses his own body in his art, carved the nearly 12ft-tall portrait of Lapper from white Carrera marble in Pietrasanta, northern Italy.
The piece is a "modern tribute to femininity, disability and motherhood", Quinn said.
"It is so rare to see disability in everyday life - let alone naked, pregnant and proud.
"The sculpture makes the ultimate statement about disability: that it can be as beautiful and valid a form of being as any other."
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| Alison Lapper Pregnant will remain on Trafalgar Quare's fourth plinth for 18 months. (Picture: James Jenkins) |
London mayor Ken Livingstone will unveil the sculpture during a public ceremony in the square today.
"Alison Lapper Pregnant is a modern heroine - strong, formidable and full of hope," the mayor said.
"It is a work about courage, beauty and defiance, which both captures and represents all that is best about our great city."
The piece is one of two sculptures chosen to be displayed on the fourth plinth in the next three years.
In April 2007 the giant nude will be replaced by Thomas Schutte's Hotel for the Birds.
Sandy Nairne, chair of the group that chose the work from a shortlist of six, called it "one of the most important public art commissions in recent years".
She added: "Although crafted in the ancient quarries in Italy, Alison Lapper Pregnant is a sculpture for our own time which will be compelling for millions of people."
10:28am Thursday 15th September 2005
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CommentPosted by: Andrea Archer, Colorado, USA on 12:03am Fri 18 Apr 08
I am really impressed with the courage it took from Alison to pose nude for a statue that the whole world will see. That takes guts. In my secret dreams I would like to expose my disabled body to the public in a tastefull manner.
Thank you for the inspiration.
Andrea Archer
I am really impressed with the courage it took from Alison to pose nude for a statue that the whole world will see. That takes guts. In my secret dreams I would like to expose my disabled body to the public in a tastefull manner.
Thank you for the inspiration.
Andrea Archer
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