MaryWollstonecraft sculpture draws criticism

LONDON » A sculpture celebrating MaryWollstonecraft as the mother of feminismhas attracted criticism even before it was unveiled. Artist Maggi Hambling said the sculpture in London “celebrates the spirit of Mary Wollstonecraft,” the author of the 18th-century treatise “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman.” The artwork, cast in silvered bronze, features a small nude female figure emerging from a large abstract mass of female forms.

The sculpture was unveiled Tuesday after a decade of campaigning and fundraising, but many critics took to Twitter to question why it had to feature a naked female figure. Writer CaitlinMoran, among others, asked why male intellectuals and historical figures haven’t been given nude statues.