The pulling down of a Bristol statue could kickstart the debate over how public sculptures are chosen.
Typically, there are two kinds of Madame Tussauds news stories. The first is when there's a new waxwork made of a recently established celebrity . The second kind - which is way more fun because it's ripe with schadenfreude - is when a once famous person is removed because they have reduced currency in the public imagination.
So, it is 'Yes' to Harry and Meghan and 'No' to Jimmy Savile . Notwithstanding your intellectual or aesthetic reservations about Tussauds, you have to admit there is a logic to the visitor attraction's exhibition strategy.
Maybe, there's a good reason for a statue to remain. Fine. Let its merits be debated, and a democratic decision made on a way forward. Perhaps it could be re-sited, or contextual material added, or, in some cases, put in storage and the space used for an alternative artwork agreed by the local community.
This informed, dedicated body could also be a place for debate, commissioning, programming, and exchange. Sculpture in the public realm could be treated like another national museum, with a director, specialist curators, conservators, and - most importantly - an education department that could collaborate with the local community and schools.
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