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All the United Kingdom England London 'A Conversation With Oscar Wilde'

'A Conversation With Oscar Wilde'

An unusual ode to the late Irish playwright, complete with a squiggly bust and coffin-shaped bench.

London, England

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Kerry Wolfe
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A Conversation with Oscar Wilde.   SUZANNE Plunkett/used with permission
A Conversation with Oscar Wilde.   SUZANNE Plunkett/used with permission
A Conversation with Oscar Wilde.   SUZANNE Plunkett/used with permission
A Conversation with Oscar Wilde.   SUZANNE Plunkett/used with permission
A Conversation with Oscar Wilde.   SUZANNE Plunkett/used with permission
A Conversation with Oscar Wilde.   SUZANNE Plunkett/used with permission
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
At dusk with Oscar.   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  rbenn250 / Atlas Obscura User
  Snowdrop68 / Atlas Obscura User
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The first public monument to Oscar Wilde outside Ireland is, indeed, a conversation starter. A bust of the writer’s head, made up of a mass of squiggly lines, emerges from a coffin-shaped base. His right hand grasps at the nothing, his fingers pinched together like a bronze tribute to the “one does not simply” meme.

Maggi Hambling created the intriguing work of art, which was installed in 1998. The artist was chosen from a pool of applicants to construct a memorial to the late writer. But her work wasn’t met with total fanfare. Though many appreciated the abstract depiction of the author, others were horrified by the memorial’s whimsical appearance.

The cigarette Wilde originally clutched in his hand caused concern, too. People repeatedly pilfered this small part of the sculpture. After a while, the city stopped replacing the cigarette, which is why his hand now grips nothing but air.

Unlike most art, this particular sculpture is meant to be touched. The green granite sarcophagus Wilde’s head and hand rest upon serves as a bench, inviting passersby to take a seat and have their own conversations with the memorial or contemplate the quote inscribed at its foot.

Related Tags

Sculptures Authors Oscar Wilde Public Art Art Monuments Memorials

Know Before You Go

Cross over from Charing Cross to Adelaide Street. The bench is in the middle of the street right in front of you.

You can walk by the sculpture at any time. The sculpture is indeed a bench, so feel free to take a seat.

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Added By

Kerry Wolfe

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jooniur, SEANETTA, Collector of Experiences, rbenn250...

  • jooniur
  • SEANETTA
  • Collector of Experiences
  • rbenn250
  • Snowdrop68

Published

January 7, 2019

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Sources
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Conversation_with_Oscar_Wilde
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Conversation_with_Oscar_Wilde
  • http://vanderkrogt.net/statues/object.php?record=gblo025
  • https://londonist.com/2015/07/is-the-oscar-wilde-memorial-a-bench
'A Conversation With Oscar Wilde'
3 Adelaide St
London, England
United Kingdom
51.508766, -0.12596
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