‘Cheeky’ Moona Lisa statue goes on public display in Bristol

A bronze statue version of the Mona Lisa has gone on public display in Bristol. The artwork, referred to as the ‘Moona Lisa’, is part of the Vanguard exhibition at the M Shed, which explores the role Bristolian artists played in the development of British street art.

What is so special about the statue?

Well, the sculpture is based on Nick Walker’s painting of the Moona Lisa. Reimagined as a life-size figure, the statue depicts the Mona Lisa bearing her bronze behind. 

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As per BBC reports, Nick Walker created the original painting after being challenged by fellow artist Banksy, who said nothing more could be done with the Mona Lisa. The original Moona Lisa painting was sold for more than three times its estimate at £54,000 at Bonhams auction house in 2006.

This life-sized statue is developed by Walker in collaboration with sculpture foundry Pangolin Editions. The scultpture was created by building a rig which held 160 DSLR cameras to capture a 360-degree image of a live model dressed as the Moona Lisa, BBC added. The image was then used to create a digital model to make a mould to create the final piece.

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The Moona Lisa is on show until October 31.

Nick Walker, who is behind the bowler-hatted gentleman ‘Vandal’, is one of the most prominent artists in Bristol’s underground scene.  His story is captured in Vanguard’s extensive exhibition which delves into Bristol’s pioneering underground scene.

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Walker’s Moona Lisa statue has received a mixed reaction on the internet so far. While some social media users did find the artwork funny and creative, some say it is an insult to Leonardo da Vinci’s original Mona Lisa. 

“What is this?. Is this art?. Why u talk about respect for women, when u produce something like this,” a Twitter user said.

“What is the artist trying to say? I just don’t see the point,” another one tweeted.