Statue of pregnant, disabled artist unveiled in London
Last Updated: Sunday, September 18, 2005 | 12:13 PM ET
CBC Arts
The statue of a pregnant, disabled artist is turning heads in London's Trafalgar Square.
The statue, "Alison Lapper Pregnant," was unveiled Thursday. It is meant to be a tribute to motherhood and people with disabilities.
The 13-tonne statue was inspired by artist Alison Lapper who was born with no arms and shortened legs due to a congenital disorder.
"Alison Lapper Pregnant", a marble sculpture by British artist Marc Quinn, is seen on Trafalgar Square's Fourth Plinth, Sept. 16. (Photo by Dan Regan/Getty Images)
Lapper posed naked for sculptor Marc Quinn when she was eight months pregnant.
"This is an amazing day for me, not just for me but hopefully for all people in the country and around the world who have disabilities," Lapper said at the unveiling.
"It's been hidden away too long. It's about time that people started to confront their prejudices. It's fantastic and it's a real honour to be up there."
Reaction to the sculpture has been mixed. Writing in The Observer, Rachel Cooke called it "very beautiful ... what strikes you about 'Alison Lapper Pregnant' are its elegant proportions."
However, Richard Dorment in The Telegraph criticized Quinn, deeming it "an empty monument to the artist's smugness ... He knows full well that anyone who dares to criticize the statue will instantly be accused of prejudice against the disabled."
"Alison Lapper Pregnant,'' is one of several sculptures to be displayed on a spot in Trafalgar Square. The Fourth Plinth was set aside in 1841 for an equestrian statue that was never completed. The sculpture will remain in the square for 18 months.
