Mary Wollstonecraft statue prompts criticism as people question why it is nude

‘How could anyone have thought that representing Mary Wollstonecraft through a female nude?' tweets critic

The statue will be unveiled on Tuesday evening after a decade-long campaign (Ioana Marinescu)

A statue for the feminist icon Mary Wollstonecraft has been criticised due to the fact that it features a naked woman.

The statue for Wollstonecraft, who has been dubbed the “mother of feminism”,  is placed in Newington Green and is set to be officially unveiled on Tuesday evening.

Designed by sculptor Maggi Hambling, the statue features a naked woman emerging with strength from an amalgamation of other female bodies.

On its base reads a quote from Ms Wollstonecraft that says: “I do not wish women to have power over men, but over themselves.”

“A Sculpture for Mary Wollstonecraft challenges the traditional statue form by elevating an idea, personifying the spirit, rather than depicting the individual,” a statement explains.

While many have praised the statue, which has been unveiled after a decade-long campaign, others have questioned why Ms Wollstonecraft has been depicted nude.

“Nameless, nude, and conventionally attractive is the only way women have ever been acceptable in public sculpture. This was a chance to break from those conventions, no?” tweeted one person.

“It is depressing but more than that it is infuriating,” added another.  “How could anyone have thought that representing Mary Wollstonecraft through a female nude?  I hate it too.”

Another questioned why a woman has been represented nude when so few men are.

“Can we see more nude warmongers and male prime ministers perhaps?" they teased.

A campaign has been running for 10 years to have a statue of Ms Wollstonecraft placed in Newington Green, where she opened up a girl’s boarding school when she was 25-years-old. 

A target to raise £143,300 to fund the creation of the statue was reached in 2019 following donations from charities and fundraisers.

According to the campaigners, the statue, called a Sculpture for Mary Wollstonecraft, is cast in silvered bronze.

They add: “The sculpture combines female forms which commingle and rise together as if one, culminating in the figure of a woman standing free. She is Everywoman, her own person, ready to confront the world.

“As opposed to traditional male heroic statuary, the free-standing woman has evolved organically from, is supported by, and does not forget, all her predecessors who advocated, campaigned and sacrificed themselves for women’s emancipation.”

Ms Wollstonecraft was an early pioneer of human rights. Her book, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, published in 1792, called for gender equality a century ahead of the suffragettes, prompting Millicent Fawcett to describe her as “the leader in that battle”.

"Mary Wollstonecraft was a life force in women’s battle for freedom. She was the forerunner of feminism,” Hambling told the Thomson Reuters Foundation before going on to reference the vice-president elect, Kamala Harris, who will be the first woman to take on the role.

“I think she would be dancing a jig in her grave to celebrate Kamala Harris. She would be incredulous at this marvellous thing that’s happened.”

Hambling was unveiled as the chosen sculptor for the Wollstonecraft sculture in 2018.

She is best known for her sculpture of Oscar Wilde in Covent Garden.

At the time of being chosen, Hambling told The Guardian: "I’m really excited at the prospect of realising my idea, inspired by the trailblazer Mary Wollstonecraft. I hope the piece will act as a metaphor for the challenges women continue to face as we confront the world.”

In response to criticism of the statue, Bee Rowlatt, chair of the campaign said: "Mary Wollstonecraft was a rebel and a pioneer, and she deserves a pioneering work of art. There's no question that Maggi Hambling is a challenging artist, and this work is certainly not your average statue. 

"Of course we want to start a conversation, the more people that find out about Mary Wollstonecraft, the better. The sculpture does not depict Mary naked, as some people are saying, because it doesn't depict Mary at all. It's called A Sculpture for Mary Wollstonecraft. 

“The figure is representative of the birth of a movement. She was the foremother of feminism. This work is an attempt to celebrate her contribution to society with something that goes beyond the Victorian traditions of putting people on pedestals.”    

To watch a live stream of the unveiling, visit @MaryWOnTheGreen on Facebook and @maryonthegreen on Twitter.