June 18, 2010

Kiss Goodbye -- For Now

It's not everyday you see a group of truck drivers milling around a flat bed with a statue of a sailor on his side smooching a nurse! Yesterday was a big day in Sarasota.  "Unconditional Surrender", a 25 foot statue along the bayfront, was taken down temporarily to undergo maintenance.  One of my first posts was about the statue, which was modeled after Alfred Jorgensen's V-J Day photo of a sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square.  A local man bought it for $500,000 and wanted to donate it to the city with the stipulation that it must remain in public view on the bayfront ---- and that's when the controversy erupted in this arts community.  Is "Unconditional Surrender" art?  Everyone (it seems) weighed in, including the City Commission which was split 3-2 to accept the gift (with certain conditions attached).   It so happens the statue was disassembled right around the time when the community was waiting to hear if the legal requirements had been met and whether the statue would remain.  So, a few people were shocked and despondent when they saw a crane removing it.   Fear not!  It's taking a 1,100 mile road trip up to New Jersey where it will be refurbished and then returned to its permanent home on the bayfront in Sarasota.  Imagine the looks the driver is going to get truckin' around with that load!

8 comments:

T. Becque said...

Funny! Neat catch.

Leslie D. said...

Great shot! I remember reading about the nurse (now 90) who said she was just arriving on the street from the subway when the sailor swept her up. Interesting Sarasota twist.

Jim Klenke said...

I like it, you can really see the size of it when its on its size.

Lois said...

Funny shot! With them laying down on that flat bed truck like that, it looks like they might be getting ready to do more than just kiss though!

Birdman said...

Funny... the men's reaction... oblivious to the real world goin' by.

Joy said...

What a lovely statue! Not sure if the Brits are ready for one :D

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kat said...

AHAHAHA. This is hilarious - love it! Good sight, and even better to have the statue hauled around by burly men. That makes it 10x funnier :)

Tazzly said...

Good post!
kussen met foto