The Achilles Statue

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Artist:

Year: 1822

Date of Action: 1822

Region: Europe

Location: Hyde Park, London

Subject: Nudity

Medium: Public Art, Sculpture

Confronting Bodies: Women of England

Description of Artwork: The women of England commissioned a statue of Achilles to be erected in the park honoring the Duke of Wellington's victory at Waterloo (1815). The statue was completely nude.

The Incident: When it was unveiled, the women of England were upset when they saw the statue included Achilles' fully exposed genitals.

Results of Incident: The women who commissioned this statue ordered that the genitals be covered up. They are now still covered with a strategically placed fig leaf.

Source:

Green, Jonathon. The Encyclopedia of Censorship. New York, NY: Facts on File, 1990. Print.