Among the many traditional monuments and statues that can be found in almost any town or city around the world, there are those whose sculptors appear to have deviated completely from convention.
We selected a few of the most intriguing, surprising, and bizarre ones we could find.
The Mustangs of Las Colinas, Texas, USA
This is one of the world’s largest collections of sculpted horses. These bronze statues are 1.5 times the size of real horses, though photographs often make them appear smaller. They have special fountains built into their feet that shoot out water in such a way that they appear to be galloping through a river.
Italy’s Monument to a Woman’s Handbag
This strange but vaguely amusing sculpture was first shown in Italy at an exhibition titled ‘Thoughts. Space. ‘A conversation between nature and imagination.’
Krasnoyarsk, Russia, Computer Technician Memorial
A workstation memorial to a computer technician: a chair, table, computer, desk light, and even a jacket have been sculpted to stunning effect. Only the technician has gone missing!
Marseilles, France, The Travellers
This is an entire series of sculptures that have not only been placed throughout the streets of Marseilles, but have also appeared in numerous modern art exhibitions.
Reykjavik, Iceland, Unknown Bureaucrat Monument
Magnus Tomasson, an Icelandic artist and sculptor, created the ‘Unknown Bureaucrat’ in 1994. It’s probably the most visible, and certainly the most amusing and expressive sculpture in the city, which is notable for the numerous interesting details that can be found.
Headington Shark, Oxford, United Kingdom
The significance of this sculpture is far greater than it appears at first glance. It was erected on the 41st anniversary of the end-of-World-War-II nuclear attack on Nagasaki. The sculpture depicts a lovely, if potentially lethal, weapon falling from the sky.
Brussels, Belgium’s De Vaartkapoen
This statue was erected in the Brussels neighborhood of Molenbeek in 1985. It depicts a scene reminiscent of a comedy sketch: a man emerges unexpectedly from a manhole and pulls the feet from beneath a police officer. Tom Frantzen, a Belgian sculptor, created it.
South African Nelson Mandela Memorial
Nelson Mandela’s profile is made up of 50 steel columns, one for each year since his arrest and political persecution. Only when you stand at a certain angle to the columns can you see his likeness; otherwise, they appear to be just a clump of poles.
Nature’s Force
This is the title of a sculpture series by Italian artist Lorenzo Quinn depicting women holding the Earth in a length of cloth. The statues have been installed in cities all over the world, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Monaco, and Singapore.
Vancouver, Canada’s Wedding Rings
One of Vancouver’s most unusual attractions. Steel, aluminum, and glass are used to make the rings. They protrude from the ground at an angle, as if they’re about to collapse. In reality, they are both firmly planted in the ground, a symbol of the power of love.
Franz Kafka Statue, Prague, Czech Republic
The concept behind Jaroslav Róna’s statue is hazy. One theory holds that it is a reference to Kafka’s ‘Description Of A Struggle,’ in which the main character became envious of a fellow traveler and clambered up onto his shoulders to see the world through different eyes. After stepping inside another person’s skin, his envy for the unknown person vanished, as he discovered that everyone has their own burdens.
Sigmund Freud Monument in Prague, Czech Republic
According to one popular theory, Czech sculptor David ern intended to depict the intellectuals’ distance from ordinary people with this statue. This is such a beautiful sculpture that anyone visiting Prague should make time to see it.
Maria Silva is originally from Sri lanka and has a degree in hospitality and management. In the years since her graduation, she has continued to grow in her career and also work in the industry of travel and tourism! she also loved the field of event management and continues to fulfill her duties in the trade so far! In her free time, she enjoys experimenting new recipes, reading, writing, online gaming and exploring new destinations!
