Damien Hirst's "The Virgin Mother" Sculpture Was Covered in Long Island After Complaints by Locals

Hirst's 33-foot tall anatomical sculpture of a pregnant woman was not well-received by some people.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Some Old Westbury residents are less than thrilled by a new sculpture installed in their neighborhood and decided to do something about it. The new addition is a 33-foot-tall bronze sculpture by English artist Damien Hirst and it depicts a pregnant woman whose body is 50% nude and 50% anatomical, down to the fetus growing in her womb. 

The Virgin Mother sculpture is said to be the female version of Hirst's Hymn sculpture, and its pose references Degas' Little Dancer Girl of Fourteen Years.The sculpture, which was installed at the estate of property developer Aby Rosen, was recently covered with a tarp because some of the town's people do not appreciate the view and say that it is "unfit to be erected in a conservation area." Westbury mayor Fred Carillo says "It's out of character with the neighborhood. We have to appease the residents, they have to preserve their bucolic views." Carillo suggested that the sculpture be moved to a "lower part of the grounds," or turned so the "graphic portion faces Rosen's house and not the residents."

There is an open meeting scheduled today so that residents can voice their opinions of the work and the fate of the sculpture can be determined.

RELATED: Damien Hirst Brings His "Other Criteria" Retail Store to SoHo 
RELATED: An Artist in San Francisco Made 9,000 Paper Butterflies Out of P**n Magazines in Protest of Damien Hirst  

[via Artlyst]

 

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