A controversial abstract statue of Prince Philip, called an "eyesore," is set to be taken down. The bronze, faceless figure, called "The Don," is dedicated to Philip, who was the Chancellor of Cambridge University from 1977 to 2011. The statue, put up in 2014, "has long been a bone of contention in the art world and local community alike," per the Independent.
Now, the Cambridge City Council is ordering its removal, sending a notice to Unex, a property management company that commissioned it. After the 13 foot statue was commissioned in 2014, it appeared in public last year, outside Charter House on HIlls Road, without planning permission.
The council's public art officer, Nadine Black, previously described it as "possibly the poorest quality work that has ever been submitted to the council." She added, "It is not site-specific and is a work already purchased and has no relationship to this site. It is too large a scale for the context of the space it will be located within and will compromise the quality of the new development."
Katie Thornburrow, a city councillor, said, " It has been described as 'kitsch-like' and 'detritus masquerading as public art,' and nobody, apart from the wealthy property developer who commissioned it, seems to have a good word to say about it. I will be glad to see it gone, but remain angry that developers could just dump it in place and then force the council to spend officers’ time and money getting them to take it away. We deserve better."
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
