King Kong statue
Encyclopedia
A statue of King Kong by Nicholas Monro
was commissioned in 1972 for display in Manzoni Gardens in The Bull Ring, in the centre of Birmingham, England. It was later displayed elsewhere in Birmingham, then in Edinburgh, and is now in Penrith.
The Arnolfini Gallery in Bristol had a maquette
. Either that or another is, as of August 2011, in Wolverhampton Art Gallery
.
, the 550 cm (18 ft)-tall, 890 kg (1,962.1 lb) fibreglass statue was commissioned for display in Birmingham, by the Peter Stuyvesant Foundation for the Sculpture for Public Places Scheme, "City Sculpture", in partnership with the Arts Council of Great Britain
.
After the statue had been on display in Manzoni Gardens for six-months, Birmingham City Council
decided not to retain it and so it was sold to a local used-car dealer, Mr Racey, who changed the name of his dealership to King Kong Car Co. and displayed the statue at his sales lot on the A34
Stratford Road (roughly opposite St Agatha's Church
) in the Sparkbrook
area of the city. While there, it was dressed up as Father Christmas
in season.
, and, in 2001, in shocking pink. Before removal from Edinburgh on the closure of that market in 2005, the statue suffered damage by vandals to its back, and a broken arm, requiring repair.
Nicholas Monro
Nicholas Monro is an English pop art sculptor, print-maker and art teacher. He is notable for being one of the few British pop artists to work in sculpture and is known for his use of fibreglass....
was commissioned in 1972 for display in Manzoni Gardens in The Bull Ring, in the centre of Birmingham, England. It was later displayed elsewhere in Birmingham, then in Edinburgh, and is now in Penrith.
The Arnolfini Gallery in Bristol had a maquette
Maquette
A maquette is a small scale model or rough draft of an unfinished architectural work or a sculpture...
. Either that or another is, as of August 2011, in Wolverhampton Art Gallery
Wolverhampton Art Gallery
Wolverhampton Art Gallery is located in the City of Wolverhampton, in the West Midlands, United Kingdom. The building was funded and constructed by local contractor Philip Horsman , and built on land provided by the Council...
.
Birmingham
Modelled on the fictional giant gorilla, King KongKing Kong
King Kong is a fictional character, a giant movie monster resembling a gorilla, that has appeared in several movies since 1933. These include the groundbreaking 1933 movie, the film remakes of 1976 and 2005, as well as various sequels of the first two films...
, the 550 cm (18 ft)-tall, 890 kg (1,962.1 lb) fibreglass statue was commissioned for display in Birmingham, by the Peter Stuyvesant Foundation for the Sculpture for Public Places Scheme, "City Sculpture", in partnership with the Arts Council of Great Britain
Arts Council of Great Britain
The Arts Council of Great Britain was a non-departmental public body dedicated to the promotion of the fine arts in Great Britain. The Arts Council of Great Britain was divided in 1994 to form the Arts Council of England , the Scottish Arts Council, and the Arts Council of Wales...
.
After the statue had been on display in Manzoni Gardens for six-months, Birmingham City Council
Birmingham City Council
The Birmingham City Council is the body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. It is the most populated local authority in the United Kingdom with, following a reorganisation of boundaries in June 2004, 120 Birmingham...
decided not to retain it and so it was sold to a local used-car dealer, Mr Racey, who changed the name of his dealership to King Kong Car Co. and displayed the statue at his sales lot on the A34
A34 road
The A34 is a major road in England. It runs from the A6042 in Salford to Winchester in Hampshire. It forms a large part of the major trunk route from Southampton, via Oxford, to Birmingham, The Potteries and Manchester...
Stratford Road (roughly opposite St Agatha's Church
St Agatha's Church, Sparkbrook
The Church of St Agatha is a parish church in the Church of England in Sparkbrook in Birmingham, England.-Background:It was designed by W. H. Bidlake. It is now a Grade I listed building....
) in the Sparkbrook
Sparkbrook
Sparkbrook is an inner-city area in south-east Birmingham, England. It is one of the four wards forming the Hall Green formal district within Birmingham City Council.-Etymology:...
area of the city. While there, it was dressed up as Father Christmas
Father Christmas
Father Christmas is the name used in many English-speaking countries for a figure associated with Christmas. A similar figure with the same name exists in several other countries, including France , Spain , Brazil , Portugal , Italy , Armenia , India...
in season.
Edinburgh
In 1976, it was sold for £12,700 to Nigel Maby's Scottish company Spook Erection Ltd. and displayed at Ingliston Market in Edinburgh. During that period, it was falsely reported destroyed, and repainted several times, including once in tartanTartan
Tartan is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in many other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Scotland. Scottish kilts almost always have tartan patterns...
, and, in 2001, in shocking pink. Before removal from Edinburgh on the closure of that market in 2005, the statue suffered damage by vandals to its back, and a broken arm, requiring repair.