A French museum has been forced to rethink its wax tribute to Emmanuel Macron following widespread ridicule. The institution may yet melt down the ‘president’ after an appearance on TV saw viewers compare it to a crazed robot.
The French leader is not the first person to fall victim to a poorly mastered waxwork or statue. Historical and contemporary figures such as Adolf Hitler, US President Donald Trump, Michael Jackson and Argentine football legend Diego Maradona have all suffered questionable creations.
READ MORE: ‘The sculptor voted Le Pen’: Macron waxwork mercilessly mocked online
Here, RT.com charts some of the worst effigies in recent memory – or at least sculptures that we’re sure most people, including the artist, would rather forget.
Hitler-Auschwitz waxwork – Indonesia
The De Mata De Arca museum in Yogyakarta bizarrely made a waxwork of German dictator Adolf Hitler one of its main attractions in 2017. Even more puzzling was the fact that it was placed standing almost triumphantly in front of a backdrop depicting the Nazi extermination camp Auschwitz, where an estimated one million people were put to death during World War II. The museum eventually removed the figure after global outcry.
Naked Donald Trump – US
Created by a US art collective, the graphic nude statues of Donald Trump caused quite a stir when they began turning up randomly in cities like New York, San Francisco, Cleveland and Seattle back in 2016.
READ MORE: It’s gonna be huge? Last ever statue of naked Donald Trump goes under hammer
Portraying the US president with a pot belly, saggy bottom and tiny penis, the artwork was titled “The Emperor Has No Balls.” The statues were eventually auctioned off by the INDECLINE anarchist collective.
Cristiano Ronaldo bust – Madeira
The Real Madrid star must have done something terrible to deserve a welcome-home gift like the one on offer at Madeira’s international airport. In March 2017, the football superstar attended the unveiling of a new bronze bust of himself. The Portuguese international graciously welcomed the statue, but the internet went into overdrive, labeling it a ‘dreadful’ piece of artwork.
‘White-washed’ Beyoncé – US
This Madame Tussauds celebration of pop queen Beyonce Knowles went down like a lead balloon for a number of reasons. Firstly, it was pointed out that the waxwork didn’t actually look much like the singer. And secondly, people felt the museum in Manhattan had got her skin tone all wrong.
Madame Tussauds later remedied the 2017 PR disaster, stating that they “respect and enjoy a working relationship” with Beyonce. The popular tourist attraction in New York later commissioned a change in style and skin colour for the wax model.
Maradona waxwork ‘own goal’ – India
He’s known for scoring the goal dubbed the ‘Hand of God.’ But whoever made this sculpture of Argentine football legend Diego Maradona was probably in league with the devil.
READ MORE: ‘Looks like Susan Boyle’ - Maradona statue ‘likeness’ panned by football fans
Unveiled at a charity gig in Kolkata last December, the 12-foot-tall sculpture showed the former Argentina soccer international celebrating with the 1986 World Cup trophy. While the sentiment was commendable, the craftsmanship sadly wasn’t, and the sculpture was roundly mocked.
Fulham FC’s Michael Jackson – UK
It was an unusual decision at the time to put a statue of Michael Jackson outside an English Premier League football club stadium. But that’s exactly what then club owner and chairman Mohamed Al Fayed did in April 2011.
Some Fulham fans fiercely objected to the statue, which came into being two years after the King of Pop’s sudden death. However, Al Fayed was staunch in his defence, telling critics to “go to hell.” The football club was eventually relegated to the Championship in 2014, and Al Fayed explained the removal of his friend’s statue was one of the reasons why the team had been unsuccessful that season.
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