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Regional secretary with the National Education Union
Statues of footballers don't always deliver
Sculptors offer their advice on what makes for a good depiction in the eyes of the art world and the public
The statue of Harry Kane unveiled at The Peter May Centre, London, November 18, 2024

ONE art critic compared the new Harry Kane bronze statue to a bulging-jawed comic strip character.

In Miami, observers say the Dwyane Wade sculpture looks more like actor Laurence Fishburne than the former basketball star. Of course, the infamous Cristiano Ronaldo bust in 2017 gave the chiseled football star a chubby face and goofy smile.

statue of Mohamed Salah in 2018 depicted the Liverpool star with a disproportionately large head. In 2011, a terracotta warrior statue of Andy Murray at a Shanghai tennis tournament drew chuckles, including from the star himself: “I thought I was better looking than that."

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Smile at your peril

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