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| The Statue That Never Was | The Statue That Never Was |
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| It was the statue that never was: a bronze, bejeweled monument to a British queen intended to rise five stories high on the Queens side of the East River across from the United Nations in the 1990s. | It was the statue that never was: a bronze, bejeweled monument to a British queen intended to rise five stories high on the Queens side of the East River across from the United Nations in the 1990s. |
| Backed by millions of dollars in privately raised funds and plenty of hype, the project was more than a decade in development and construction. | Backed by millions of dollars in privately raised funds and plenty of hype, the project was more than a decade in development and construction. |
| But in 1998, it became mired in racially and politically charged protest that ended with the project scrapped and the nearly completed bronze statue melted down for scrap. | But in 1998, it became mired in racially and politically charged protest that ended with the project scrapped and the nearly completed bronze statue melted down for scrap. |
| Though largely forgotten, the statue controversy was something of a forerunner to the current controversy, swirling nationally and in New York City, over statues deemed offensive because of the histories of the figures they depict. | Though largely forgotten, the statue controversy was something of a forerunner to the current controversy, swirling nationally and in New York City, over statues deemed offensive because of the histories of the figures they depict. |
| In the late 1980s, a Portuguese group proposed a statue to honor Catherine of Braganza, a 17th-century Portuguese princess who married King Charles II of England and became, many believe, the eponym of the borough of Queens. | |
| In 1992, the artist Audrey Flack won a competition for the commission to create a 35-foot figure atop a 15-foot base. She spent a decade creating smaller models and then a full-size clay figure to cast in bronze. | In 1992, the artist Audrey Flack won a competition for the commission to create a 35-foot figure atop a 15-foot base. She spent a decade creating smaller models and then a full-size clay figure to cast in bronze. |
| But by 1998, black activists, educators, clergy and elected officials began protesting that Catherine, as a member of the English royal court, would have benefited from the slave trade and did not deserve to be celebrated. | But by 1998, black activists, educators, clergy and elected officials began protesting that Catherine, as a member of the English royal court, would have benefited from the slave trade and did not deserve to be celebrated. |
| Ms. Flack, 86, still has several smaller preliminary models of the sculpture in her home in East Hampton, N.Y., where she works when she is not at her Manhattan studio. She pointed to a four-foot-tall bronze figure of the statue that one protester in 1997, Betty Dopson, who has since died, called “bloody with the murder of millions of Africans.” | Ms. Flack, 86, still has several smaller preliminary models of the sculpture in her home in East Hampton, N.Y., where she works when she is not at her Manhattan studio. She pointed to a four-foot-tall bronze figure of the statue that one protester in 1997, Betty Dopson, who has since died, called “bloody with the murder of millions of Africans.” |
| Supporters of the statue called the slavery claim misinformed and had a college history professor weigh in at the time that there was no evidence the queen had owned slaves or profited from their trade, but rather set aside money to be used for buying slaves their freedom. | Supporters of the statue called the slavery claim misinformed and had a college history professor weigh in at the time that there was no evidence the queen had owned slaves or profited from their trade, but rather set aside money to be used for buying slaves their freedom. |
| In some ways, the protests resembled the outcry over the Christopher Columbus statue at Columbus Circle, which some detractors want removed because of the explorer’s enslavement and killing of indigenous people in the Caribbean. Mayor Bill de Blasio has managed to sidestep much of the furor by forming a commission to develop guidelines on how the city should treat certain public monuments. | In some ways, the protests resembled the outcry over the Christopher Columbus statue at Columbus Circle, which some detractors want removed because of the explorer’s enslavement and killing of indigenous people in the Caribbean. Mayor Bill de Blasio has managed to sidestep much of the furor by forming a commission to develop guidelines on how the city should treat certain public monuments. |
| In 1997, there was no such commission. Protesters called upon Claire Shulman, the Queens borough president at the time, to withdraw her support. Ms. Shulman chaired an honorary committee supporting the statue that included names like D’Amato, Dinkins, Giuliani, Pataki and Trump. | In 1997, there was no such commission. Protesters called upon Claire Shulman, the Queens borough president at the time, to withdraw her support. Ms. Shulman chaired an honorary committee supporting the statue that included names like D’Amato, Dinkins, Giuliani, Pataki and Trump. |
| “I really didn’t know what to do because it was a brand new-issue,” Ms. Shulman recalled, referring to the reassessment of problematic statues. | “I really didn’t know what to do because it was a brand new-issue,” Ms. Shulman recalled, referring to the reassessment of problematic statues. |
| She decided to hold a public hearing in Borough Hall, which turned into a fiery forum. | She decided to hold a public hearing in Borough Hall, which turned into a fiery forum. |
| As Ms. Flack recalled, “The protesters marched in wearing buttons with a big slash across my statue with the words ‘Slave Queen.’” | As Ms. Flack recalled, “The protesters marched in wearing buttons with a big slash across my statue with the words ‘Slave Queen.’” |
| Ms. Shulman, who left office in 2002, said the project benefited from splashy fund-raising concerts, dinners at the Plaza Hotel and even an event in which white Lippizaner stallions were brought from Portugal for the festivities. | Ms. Shulman, who left office in 2002, said the project benefited from splashy fund-raising concerts, dinners at the Plaza Hotel and even an event in which white Lippizaner stallions were brought from Portugal for the festivities. |
| “It never entered our mind” that the statue might be offensive, she said. “How do you connect women to slavery? Women weren’t involved in that kind of thing. But suddenly the issue of race came up, and we had to take it very seriously because a lot of people were very upset.” | “It never entered our mind” that the statue might be offensive, she said. “How do you connect women to slavery? Women weren’t involved in that kind of thing. But suddenly the issue of race came up, and we had to take it very seriously because a lot of people were very upset.” |
| Facing political pressure, Ms. Shulman decided in 1998 to withdraw her support for the project, and an offer to use the East River site was withdrawn. The project stalled and died. | Facing political pressure, Ms. Shulman decided in 1998 to withdraw her support for the project, and an offer to use the East River site was withdrawn. The project stalled and died. |
| “I was crushed — it really just killed me,” said Ms. Flack, who said she had devoted nearly a decade of work to the statue, the most of any piece in her career. | “I was crushed — it really just killed me,” said Ms. Flack, who said she had devoted nearly a decade of work to the statue, the most of any piece in her career. |
| “I researched her, and if she was a bad, evil person, I would not have done it,” she said of the queen. “She was a good human being.” Ms. Flack added, “She had dark Portuguese skin and was made fun of for that.” | “I researched her, and if she was a bad, evil person, I would not have done it,” she said of the queen. “She was a good human being.” Ms. Flack added, “She had dark Portuguese skin and was made fun of for that.” |
| Ms. Flack said she had visualized a prominent memorial to a strong woman in a city with very few female statues. | Ms. Flack said she had visualized a prominent memorial to a strong woman in a city with very few female statues. |
| “I was told at the time that it would have been the largest public art statue made by a woman in the world,” she said, “and second only to the Statue of Liberty in height.” | “I was told at the time that it would have been the largest public art statue made by a woman in the world,” she said, “and second only to the Statue of Liberty in height.” |
| Ms. Flack went on: “As a woman and an artist, I wanted a beautiful, intelligent female out there. Queens has the greatest ethnic diversity of any borough, and I wanted her to be a healing force bringing people together.” | Ms. Flack went on: “As a woman and an artist, I wanted a beautiful, intelligent female out there. Queens has the greatest ethnic diversity of any borough, and I wanted her to be a healing force bringing people together.” |
| She resolved to depict the queen’s face with multiracial features and break with the convention of a more classical Greco-Roman look. | She resolved to depict the queen’s face with multiracial features and break with the convention of a more classical Greco-Roman look. |
| Ms. Flack said she asked a biracial cousin to pose for the face and had to remake the face perhaps 100 times with clay models to achieve a balance of features that might pass for various racial and ethnic mixes. | Ms. Flack said she asked a biracial cousin to pose for the face and had to remake the face perhaps 100 times with clay models to achieve a balance of features that might pass for various racial and ethnic mixes. |
| “I wanted to create the face of the new millennium,” Ms. Flack said. | “I wanted to create the face of the new millennium,” Ms. Flack said. |
| “When you think how much that statue could have meant to young women, particularly ones of color, biracial and different ethnic backgrounds who’ve never seen their image in public on any statue or in any museum,” she said. “This was my dream.” | “When you think how much that statue could have meant to young women, particularly ones of color, biracial and different ethnic backgrounds who’ve never seen their image in public on any statue or in any museum,” she said. “This was my dream.” |
| The protests made headlines, and fund-raising dried up for the commissioning, which stopped paying the foundry where the full-size statue remained partly cast in bronze, nearly finished, Ms. Flack said. | The protests made headlines, and fund-raising dried up for the commissioning, which stopped paying the foundry where the full-size statue remained partly cast in bronze, nearly finished, Ms. Flack said. |
| When Ms. Flack learned that the foundry, still intent on finishing the statue, hired her former assistant to complete it, Ms. Flack successfully sued in 1999 to stop the work. | When Ms. Flack learned that the foundry, still intent on finishing the statue, hired her former assistant to complete it, Ms. Flack successfully sued in 1999 to stop the work. |
| The suit helped define and expand legal protections of an artist’s work, said Barbara Hoffman, Ms. Flack’s lawyer in the suit. | The suit helped define and expand legal protections of an artist’s work, said Barbara Hoffman, Ms. Flack’s lawyer in the suit. |
| “At least she leaves a legal legacy that helps artists,” Ms. Flack said of the statue. | “At least she leaves a legal legacy that helps artists,” Ms. Flack said of the statue. |
| Two smaller, preliminary models were acquired by museums for display: An 11-foot tall plaster model was acquired three years ago by the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio, and a bronze head went to the Allen Memorial Art Museum at Oberlin College in Ohio. | Two smaller, preliminary models were acquired by museums for display: An 11-foot tall plaster model was acquired three years ago by the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio, and a bronze head went to the Allen Memorial Art Museum at Oberlin College in Ohio. |
| “It never entered our mind” to let the model’s connection to the controversial project become a deterrent to acquiring the model,” said Lou Zona, the director of the Butler Institute. | “It never entered our mind” to let the model’s connection to the controversial project become a deterrent to acquiring the model,” said Lou Zona, the director of the Butler Institute. |
| The decision was made “strictly on the aesthetics of a great artist,” he said. | The decision was made “strictly on the aesthetics of a great artist,” he said. |
| Andria Derstine, director of the museum at Oberlin, said museum officials felt that the bronze head’s connection to the controversial project could help stimulate discussions of slavery, multiculturalism and women in the arts. | Andria Derstine, director of the museum at Oberlin, said museum officials felt that the bronze head’s connection to the controversial project could help stimulate discussions of slavery, multiculturalism and women in the arts. |
| “This is a work that can be used to start conversations and we don’t shy away from that,” she said. | “This is a work that can be used to start conversations and we don’t shy away from that,” she said. |
| Ms. Flack said that in the end she received “a pittance” in payment for many years of work. | Ms. Flack said that in the end she received “a pittance” in payment for many years of work. |
| “But it was a labor of love,” she said. “The way I see it, the statue lost out.” | “But it was a labor of love,” she said. “The way I see it, the statue lost out.” |