How Good Are 21st Century Representational Statues?

Due to the rapid turnover in historical heroes, the 21st Century has seen many new realistic sculptures of black heroes, sports heroes, and (especially) black sports heroes.

My vague impression is that the 21st Century has been a quietly booming era for representational sculptors. Statues of sports heroes, black heroes, and black sports heroes have been especially well-funded.

On the other hand, it’s not clear if 21st Century representational sculptors are all that good at what they do.

Granted, this horrifying statue of swimmer Michael Phelps stroking his way out of the soil like a sandworm in Dune appears to no longer be on display, which appears to say at least something good about 21st Century tastes.

Still, it doesn’t seem like academia is all that interested in training its best students to do old-fashioned realistic art, even though there are now paying jobs in the field.

Nor do people who are really into Michael Jordan or George Floyd particularly tend to be into art.

So the critical discourse about new representational sculptures is thin to say the least.

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