| Edition |
First edition. |
| Description |
305 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm. |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical resources (pages [281]-305). |
| Contents |
Introduction : the making of history -- A revolutionary beginning : King George III -- From prince to pariah : William, Duke of Cumberland -- The cult leader : Joseph Stalin -- Imposing erections : Rafael Trujillo -- The great white elephant : King George V -- "The horror! The horror!" : King Leopold II -- Lying in state : Vladimir Ilyich Lenin -- "The desert of the real" : Saddam Hussein -- Colossus : Cecil Rhodes -- Dedicated to a lost cause : Robert E. Lee -- Making a splash : Edward Colston -- American idol : George Washington -- Conclusion : making our own history. |
| Summary |
In 2020, history came tumbling down. But as the past three hundred years have shown, history is not erased when statues are removed. Exploring the rise and fall of twelve famous, yet now controversial statues, Alex von Tunzelmann takes us on a fascinating global historical tour filled with larger than life characters and dramatic stories. Von Tunzelmann reveals that statues are not historical records but political statements and distinguishes between statuary and other forms of sculpture, public art, and memorialization. |
|
"In 2020, history came tumbling down. From the US and the UK to Belgium, New Zealand, and Bangladesh, Black Lives Matter protesters defaced, and in some cases, hauled down statues of Confederate icons, slaveholders, and imperialists. General Robert E. Lee, head of the Confederate Army, was covered in graffiti in Richmond, Virginia. Edward Colston, a member of Parliament and slave trader, was knocked off his plinth in Bristol, England, and hurled into the harbor. Statues of Christopher Columbus were toppled in Minnesota, burned and thrown into a lake in Virginia, and beheaded in Massachusetts. Belgian King Leopold II was set on fire in Antwerp and doused in red paint in Ghent. Winston Churchill's monument in London was daubed with the word "racist." As these iconic effigies fell, the backlash was swift and intense. But as the past three hundred years have shown, history is not erased when statues are removed. If anything, Alex von Tunzelmann reminds us, it is made. Exploring the rise and fall of twelve famous, yet now controversial statues, she takes us on a fascinating global historical tour around North America, Western and Eastern Europe, Latin America and Asia, filled with larger than life characters and dramatic stories. Von Tunzelmann reveals that statues are not historical records but political statements and distinguishes between statuary--the representation of "virtuous" individuals, usually "Great Men"--and other forms of sculpture, public art, and memorialization. Nobody wants to get rid of all memorials. But Fallen Idols asks: have statues had their day." -- Provided by publisher. |
| Subject |
Sculpture -- History.
|
|
Sculpture -- Social aspects.
|
|
Statues -- History.
|
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Statues -- Social aspects.
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Statues -- Moral and ethical aspects.
|
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Monuments -- Moral and ethical aspects.
|
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Collective memory.
|
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Arts and society.
|
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Arts and society. (OCoLC)fst00817856
|
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Collective memory. (OCoLC)fst01739814
|
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Statues. (OCoLC)fst01132151
|
| Genre/Form |
History. (OCoLC)fst01411628
|
| ISBN |
9780063081673 |
|
0063081679 |
|
