Statues of the famous: the good, the bad and the ugly

Martin Chilton looks at some of the strange and fine celebrity statue and busts tributes, including to music greats such as Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and John Lennon and to the giants from the world of literature, including Shakespeare and Paddington Bear. (above, statues of Amy Winehouse, HRH Queen, Psy and an ice one of Star Wars Jedi Yoda).

Amy Winehouse
 

The life-size bronze statue to the late Amy Winehouse was unveiled in Camden, London, on September 14 2014, on what would have been the singer's 31st birthday. There were some critics of its accuracy but fans seemed generally happy that it looked like her, trademark beehive hairdo and all.

Designer Scott Eaton said: "The design is not based on any single snapshot, photo or moment in time, but an amalgamation of influences."

Michael Jackson
 

When Fulham fans complained about the statue of pop singer Michael Jackson outside the Craven Cottage football ground, owner and chairman Mohamed Al-Fayed, who was close to Jackson, told them to "go to hell". He sold the club to Shahid Khan in July 2013 and, after consulting with supporters, the American businessman told the statue to beat it, and down came 7ft 6in Jacko

Andy Murray

Mute shock rather than a volley of expletives as Andy Murray looks at his terra cotta warrior statue, which was unveiled during the Rolex Masters in Shanghai

Elvis Presley
Return to sender? A statue of the King of Rock, Elvis Presley, in Neve, Israel

Frank Sinatra

Start spreading the news . . . there were quite a few pictures being taken of the statue of Ol' Blue Eyes himself, FRANK SINATRA, in New Jersey, which was first unveiled in 1998, when he died in 1982. The picture above shows his grand-daughter with the statue, which was placed, appropriately, in the Frank Sinatra Memorial Park in Hoboken. Sinatra's centenary was on December 12 2015.

Well, we think they've made a good fist of this statue dedicated to South Korean singer PSY. The golden Gangnam Style statue is situated outside the COEX shopping and exhibition centre in Seoul, where the first part of the iconic 2012 dance video was shot. "Tourists can take pictures under the statue and the song will play automatically when you stand there," Gangnam tourism director Park Hee-Soo said.

John Lennon

Somewhere between the statue in Havana, Cuba, and the one opened by Yoko Ono at Liverpool Airport, Beatles star John Lennon (right) seems to have mislaid an arm. Missing baggage, perhaps?

John Lennon's sister unveiled a new statue of THE BEATLES on Liverpool's waterfront on 4 December 2015 to mark 50 years since their last public performance in their home city at the Cavern Club. It is based on a 1963 photograph. "I was present at that event and am proud to be at the unveiling," said Julia Baird, the late Beatle's sister. The statue of the "Fab Four" — Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon — was created by sculptor Andy Edwards and weighs 1.2 tonnes. But why is 1960s Paul McCartney carrying a camcorder?

Never mind the nine symphonies, five piano concertos, violin concerto, 32 piano sonatas, 16 string quartets, his great Mass the Missa solemnis and an opera, when it comes to statues, it's LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN's hair that matters. Let's ignore the one drawing of the German composer (who lived from 1770 to 1827) that presents him with a sober hairstyle (bottom right), it's the flowing Michael Heseltine-style locks that amaze. Statues such as the one in Bonn (top left) capture the hairdo and he's even had one with red hair. In real life, locks of his hair were cut off on his death bed and sold for a fortune at Sotheby's in London. DNA analysis of Beethoven's hair revealed abnormally high concentrations of lead, indicating that at some time in his life Beethoven may have been subjected to lead poisoning, which would account for many of his health problems, including his deafness. The mystery of the composer's hair prompted a book in 2001 called Beethoven's Hair: An Extraordinary Historical Odyssey and a Scientific Mystery Solved.

You may be the most powerful man in the world but it doesn't guarantee you a good statue. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA is seen here in a statue in Kogelo Village in Kenya. His wife Michele, meanwhile, the First Lady, was given a rather radical makeover i a bust (appropriately) by sculptor Daniel Edwards, previously best known for a 25 foot bust of Fidel Castro and a sculpture of Britney Spears giving birth. It potrays Mrs Obama in the style of a bare-chested African Queen, wearing large hooped earrings and an "afro pick" comb in her Egyptian-influenced hairstyle. An American flag is tattooed across her naked chest and the comb is decorated with pearls, the traditional garb of a First Lady, and an American Eagle. The bust, entitled "Michelle Obama's Makeover for America", went on display at the Leo Kesting Gallery in New York.

KATE MOSS sometimes wears gold, sometimes wears nothing. This rather provocative gold statue was part of the Statuephilia Sculpture Exhibition At British Museum in 2008. Marc Quinn's solid gold statue of model Moss was called 'Siren'

Old acting boxers never die, they just keep making sequels. In 2015, Sylvester Stallone (above left) made yet another movie featuring the character ROCKY BALBOA, someone he first played in 1976. The Rocjy statue is outside the Museum of Art in Philadelphia. The Rocky movies have had a large in influence on tourism in Philadelphia and every day hundreds of people visit the statue of the fictional boxer known in the films as the 'Italian Stallion'.

Benedict Cumberbatch

A startled-looking chocolate Benedict Cumberbatch statue. Let's hope the long neck isn't life size.

Agatha Christie

Cheery old Agatha Christie, whose statue is Torquay . . . in September 2015, Christie fans descended on her hometown for the 125th anniversary of the writer's birth for a festival aiming at dissecting the novelist's work and life involving more than one hundred events.

Princess Diana

England's rose, Princess Diana, comes off badly in this concrete statue by John Houlstun and somewhat better in a bronze statue by Lesley Pover

In November 2015, the Chinese artist Chen Dapeng has unveiled the bust of the Queen he made as a "gesture of reconciliation" between China and Britain. Mark Hudson, one of the Telegraph's art critics, said Mr Chen had struggled to create a true likeness of the Queen, having been unable to sculpt her from life.He said: "I'm afraid it doesn't really look like the Queen, that's the first thing that strikes you."It's rather out of proportion, the back of the head is too large and he has given her a bit of a boxer's chin. It's ended up looking a bit like Tom Hanks."But it has a certain exuberance and if you like kitsch then why not? Good for him."

Sir William Beechey's 1797 portrait of Admiral Horatio Nelson is actually an oil painting and shows him off in a far better light than this statue, thankfully not the one atop his column in Trafalgar Square.

Risqué is nothing new, though as this statue of actress CARROLL BAKER at London's Dorchester Hotel shows. It was unveiled in 1957, the year she earned an Oscar nomination for best actress, for Baby Doll. 

Risqué is nothing new, though as this statue of actress CARROLL BAKER at London's Dorchester Hotel shows. It was unveiled in 1957, the year she earned an Oscar nomination for best actress, for Baby Doll. 

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