A large sculpture of Oscar Wilde’s head, set to be unveiled in a public garden in southwest London, has raised eyebrows. The statue, created by the late Scottish artist Sir Eduardo Paolozzi, has been sharply criticized by Wilde’s grandson, Merlin Holland.
The six-foot-tall sculpture, which depicts Wilde’s head lying on its side with his face segmented into slices, has been called “absolutely hideous” by Holland. “I’m all for innovations in modern art,” he told *The Observer*, “but this seems to me unacceptable.” Holland added that the sculpture bears no resemblance to Wilde and fails to capture his grandfather’s brilliance as one of the greatest English playwrights.
He also noted that the segmented bronze head has a somber tone, more likely to remind viewers of Wilde’s tragic end rather than celebrating his literary achievements. Wilde died in 1900 of meningitis. While some believe syphilis was the cause, Holland argues this is a misconception, attributing the illness to complications from a surgical procedure, possibly a mastoidectomy, in which diseased tissue is removed from the skull behind the ear.
The sculpture is set to be installed on Dovehouse Green, a garden near Wilde’s former home, in the coming weeks.
