The Thinker. The Pieta. The Venus de Milo. These are some of the sculptures that have captured humanity. Though many of them have been around for centuries, the sheer talent of the artists continues to astound us.
Who doesn’t get overwhelmed looking at the realistic folds of stone “cloth” on the Giovanni Strazza’s Veiled Virgin? And what about the emotional response people have when they see the millennia-old bust of Nerfertiti, rumored to have been the most beautiful woman in the history of the world?
Now along with the sculptures we’ve appreciated, it’s time for something completely different. The sculptures you’re about to see are famous for an entirely different reason. They’re famous because they’re downright ugly.
Not only are they ugly, but in some cases, we can’t even tell what they’re supposed to be. For some of them, the artists used hundreds of dollars of public funding. Others are so bad they caused a public outcry. And then there are those that have become a local embarrassment.
We know it takes creativity, impeccable skill, precision to create sculptures. But these don’t have any of that. Here are 60 of the ugliest sculptures and statues ever seen.
1. It’s a pig AND a duck
This Finnish statue is named The Pig-Duck and it’s supposed to represent a rubber duck and a marzipan pig combined. Every year, it’s dressed in a festive hat for the holidays.
This statue, entitled “Gymnast III,” doesn’t look like any gymnast I’ve ever seen. In fact, it looks like a couple of things I wouldn’t mention in front of my grandmother.
At first glance, this seems to be a classical sculpture: yup, just a naked guy and his dog. But then you realize he seems to have tentacles and the dog’s floating in midair.
Sitting in the center of the Dalhousie University campus in Nova Scotia is this art piece entitled “Marine Venus.” Something about it makes me want to cross my legs.
You’d probably never think this was an art installation unless someone told you. The “towers” are supposed to represent Germany and Romania, but they look more like rusted building supports.
Your guess is as good as mine when it comes to figuring out what this sculpture is supposed to be. I’m pretty sure it’s made out of concrete and Elmer’s glue.
The Boll Weevil Monument stands in Enterprise, Alabama. It’s pretty self-explanatory…although we can’t figure out why anyone would want to memorialize a crop-eating pest.
This statue in Canberra isn’t bad, but it’s definitely ugly. Who wouldn’t want to hang out in a park next to a creepy sheep kicking itself in the face?
These statues are in the garden at the Clarendon Hotel in the U.K. They appear to be two sunbathers who forgot to apply sunblock the day they went for a full-body tan.
The Burnside Fountain in Worcestershire, Massachusetts depicts a young man riding a sea turtle. But there’s something awkward about it. I wonder what it could be.
This eyebrow-raising sculpture is known as The Sunbather, and it’s a wonderful shade of Pepto-Bismol pink. All I can say is: make sure you wear sunscreen, everyone.
This sculpture isn’t even recognizable as artwork. It just looks like a strange building structure. It was also on private property, which made all the neighbors mad.
Lucille Ball was an amazing actress and comedienne so she deserved to be memorialized. But this statue was so ugly it made everyone so upset, it prompted a redo.
For whatever reason, residents of an Arkansas town are proud of its Popeye statue. It does look a lot like the classic cartoon character, but it’s pretty ugly.
The Quetzalcoatl statue of San Jose is supposed to depict the legendary serpent of the Aztecs. But there’s just no getting around the fact that it looks like something a dog left on the lawn.
This Chicago statue is a memorial to Cubs broadcaster Harry Caray. But why in the world is he standing on a pile of tortured souls who’ve lost their bodies?
Remember: if your hometown’s lacking a bit of pep, just add a statue of a bright pink elephant. It’ll confuse everyone, but at least it’ll also liven things up a bit.
This sculpture, known as “The Awakening,” can be found in Oxon Hill, Maryland. It’s supposed to be a giant coming out of the sand, but he looks a bit more like he’s drowning.
In Alpena, Michigan, there’s a 30-foot-tall statue of Paul Bunyan made entirely out of car parts. That includes old fenders and hoods. At least they only spent $4,500 on this monstrosity.
Here’s a note for everybody: if you’re going to sculpt a memorial of a saxophone legend, don’t forget to add the saxophone. Otherwise, he kind of looks like he’s spitting on passersby.
Charlotte, North Carolina is named after Queen Charlotte of Mecklenberg-Strelitz. The airport has a statue of her, including her ugliness that’s horrified millions of travelers.
I’m all for memorializing figures of the Civil Rights Era but is this the best way to do it? MLK’s head suspended on a glass orb is less inspiring than it is terrifying.
Stillwater, Oklahoma needed to beautify its streets…so, it added an enormous Transformer sculpture. On one hand, it’s kind of cool. On the other hand, it’s pretty ugly.
If you head to Rhode Island, you might catch a glimpse of a bikini-clad Mrs. Potato Head. While she’s certainly an eyesore, she’s ready to hit the beach.
In South Carolina stands a monument to Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion. But Marion himself isn’t the eyesore. It’s his horse, which is about as creepy as a horse can be.
The town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, was reportedly terrorized by a “Mothman” for a few months from 1966 to 1967. To remember their brief moment of fame, they’ve erected this “statue.”
Why make a statue of the game Rock, Paper, Scissors? Why WOULDN’T you? It means so much to us, like, uh, long boring car rides settling meaningless debates.
Welcome to Dublin, Ohio, the home to a field of giant concrete corn statues. They’re ugly, they’re made of concrete, and they’re corn. What else do you need to know?
This terrifying creature looms above a street in Spain. He’s known as the Merman of Vigo, but he seems to have human feet and, uh, wings? Or maybe scales?
In Helsinki, you’ll find this revolting “Bad Bad Boy” peeing into the harbor. I guess the sculptor thought it was charming but it’s really a pink peeing nightmare.
This nightmarish statue sits outside the Castellon Airport and cost £300,000 to create. It’s a good thing it’s so darn beautiful or that money would’ve gone to waste.
This statue in Washington D.C. was a gift from a German sculptor. It’s supposed to depict the “ideal America,” which includes naked politicians, stabbings, living cars, and jazz.
Do these figures look vaguely familiar? If you squint and turn your head, you might recognize them as a nightmare version of Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Phillip.
60 of the ugliest sculptures we’ve ever laid eyes on
Cedric Jackson
03.10.20
The Thinker. The Pieta. The Venus de Milo. These are some of the sculptures that have captured humanity. Though many of them have been around for centuries, the sheer talent of the artists continues to astound us.
Who doesn’t get overwhelmed looking at the realistic folds of stone “cloth” on the Giovanni Strazza’s Veiled Virgin? And what about the emotional response people have when they see the millennia-old bust of Nerfertiti, rumored to have been the most beautiful woman in the history of the world?
Now along with the sculptures we’ve appreciated, it’s time for something completely different. The sculptures you’re about to see are famous for an entirely different reason. They’re famous because they’re downright ugly.
Not only are they ugly, but in some cases, we can’t even tell what they’re supposed to be. For some of them, the artists used hundreds of dollars of public funding. Others are so bad they caused a public outcry. And then there are those that have become a local embarrassment.
We know it takes creativity, impeccable skill, precision to create sculptures. But these don’t have any of that. Here are 60 of the ugliest sculptures and statues ever seen.
