Sam Durant, ‘Bordeaux statue of liberty’, from the series ‘Defaced monuments’, an ongoing collection of statues, sculptures, memorials, markers and monuments that have been intentionally or unintentionally altered, damaged or destroyed as a political statement or during a political protest.

There are four replicas of the Statue of Liberty (given to the U.S. by the French in 1886) in France. This one, an 8 ft., bronze statue, was erected in 2000 in Bordeaux. The original replica had been erected in 1887 but was dismantled and melted for scrap metal by Nazis in WWII. A plaque honoring the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks was added to the second statue later. On the night of March 25, 2003, in what is believed to be an anti-war or perhaps anti-American statement, red paint was poured on the statue. It was lit with gasoline and the face was blackened by fire. The plaque commemorating the victims of September 11th was also cracked.

Interview with Durant below.

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