Unconditional Surrender (sculpture)
Encyclopedia
Unconditional Surrender is a series of sculptures by Seward Johnson
resembling a photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt
, V–J day in Times Square
, but said by Johnson to be based on a similar, less well known, photograph by Victor Jorgensen
.
version of the work was part of a temporary exhibition in Sarasota, Florida
in 2005, at its bayfront.
He proceeded with the manufacture of aluminum versions of the 25-foot-tall statue, marketing them through a foundation he had created. He offered copies ranging from $542,500 for styrofoam, $980,000 for aluminum, and $1,140,000 for bronze
.
Johnson established "The Sculpture Foundation" to disseminate his work.
Joel May, a Sarasota architect and a member of the city's public art committee, raised an issue of possible copyright infringement
, because of the similarity of the sculpture to Alfred Eisenstaedt
's photograph V–J day in Times Square
, published in Life
in 1945 and still protected by copyright
. Johnson said he was aware of this issue, and had used another photograph of the kissing couple taken by Victor Jorgensen
, which is in the public domain.
The attorney for the municipal government said that the attorneys for Johnson and the donor had fulfilled the requirements set by the city commission, making way for exhibition of the statue for at least ten years.
(also known as Tuna Harbor Park), where the authority installed one temporarily in 2007.
Robert L. Pincus, art critic of The San Diego Union Tribune, said that according to "theme-park logic" the statue suited the site, in front of the Midway Aircraft Museum, and that it pleased couples who mimicked the pose, but that it was kitsch and "The figures look like something from a cheap souvenir factory, blown up beyond any reason."
The statue is reportedly on loan through August 2010, but is still in place as of April 2011.
. Writing up this event, a staff writer for The Trentonian described Unconditional Surrender as a "masterpiece".
John Seward Johnson II
John Seward Johnson II also known as J. Seward Johnson, Jr. and Seward Johnson is an American artist known for his trompe l'oeil painted bronze statues, and a grandson of Robert Wood Johnson I ....
resembling a photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt
Alfred Eisenstaedt
Alfred Eisenstaedt was a German-American photographer and photojournalist. He is renowned for his candid photographs, frequently made using various models of a 35mm Leica rangefinder camera...
, V–J day in Times Square
V–J day in Times Square
V-J Day in Times Square is a photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt that portrays an American sailor kissing a young nurse in a white dress on V-J Day in Times Square on August 14, 1945. The photograph was published a week later in Life magazine among many photographs of celebrations around the country...
, but said by Johnson to be based on a similar, less well known, photograph by Victor Jorgensen
Victor Jorgensen
Victor Jorgensen is a former Navy photo journalist who probably is most famous for taking a photograph of an impromptu scene in Manhattan on August 14, 1945, but from a different angle and in a less dramatic exposure than that of a photograph taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt. Both photographs were of...
.
Creation
Seward Johnson first built a life-size bronze precursor to the huge statues of Unconditional Surrender, reportedly using computer technology. A 25-foot-tall styrofoamStyrofoam
Styrofoam is a trademark of The Dow Chemical Company for closed-cell currently made for thermal insulation and craft applications. In 1941, researchers in Dow's Chemical Physics Lab found a way to make foamed polystyrene...
version of the work was part of a temporary exhibition in Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota is a city located in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is south of the Tampa Bay Area and north of Fort Myers...
in 2005, at its bayfront.
He proceeded with the manufacture of aluminum versions of the 25-foot-tall statue, marketing them through a foundation he had created. He offered copies ranging from $542,500 for styrofoam, $980,000 for aluminum, and $1,140,000 for bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
.
Johnson established "The Sculpture Foundation" to disseminate his work.
Offered to Sarasota
Interest in a revisit to Sarasota in 2009 was cultivated by a director of a bayfront biannual show and an aluminum copy was placed at the bayfront, again temporarily. An "88-year-old donor, who served in the U.S. Navy during World War II" offered to pay half a million dollars for it against an initial asking price of $680,000. While some members of the community supported the statue, others felt the statue was not good enough to be displayed on the bay front. The Chairwoman of the Public Art Committee at the time said that "it doesn't even qualify as kitsch...It is like a giant cartoon image drafted by a computer emulating a famous photograph. It's not the creation of an artist. It's an artist copying a famous image."Copyright infringement
Copyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...
, because of the similarity of the sculpture to Alfred Eisenstaedt
Alfred Eisenstaedt
Alfred Eisenstaedt was a German-American photographer and photojournalist. He is renowned for his candid photographs, frequently made using various models of a 35mm Leica rangefinder camera...
's photograph V–J day in Times Square
V–J day in Times Square
V-J Day in Times Square is a photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt that portrays an American sailor kissing a young nurse in a white dress on V-J Day in Times Square on August 14, 1945. The photograph was published a week later in Life magazine among many photographs of celebrations around the country...
, published in Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
in 1945 and still protected by copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
. Johnson said he was aware of this issue, and had used another photograph of the kissing couple taken by Victor Jorgensen
Victor Jorgensen
Victor Jorgensen is a former Navy photo journalist who probably is most famous for taking a photograph of an impromptu scene in Manhattan on August 14, 1945, but from a different angle and in a less dramatic exposure than that of a photograph taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt. Both photographs were of...
, which is in the public domain.
The attorney for the municipal government said that the attorneys for Johnson and the donor had fulfilled the requirements set by the city commission, making way for exhibition of the statue for at least ten years.
San Diego
The second place to exhibit Unconditional Surrender was the G Street Mole Park of Port of San DiegoPort of San Diego
The Port of San Diego is a self-supporting public benefit corporation established in 1962 by an act of the California State Legislature. In 2007, The U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics ranked the Port of San Diego as one of America's top 30 U.S. containership ports bringing in nearly of...
(also known as Tuna Harbor Park), where the authority installed one temporarily in 2007.
Robert L. Pincus, art critic of The San Diego Union Tribune, said that according to "theme-park logic" the statue suited the site, in front of the Midway Aircraft Museum, and that it pleased couples who mimicked the pose, but that it was kitsch and "The figures look like something from a cheap souvenir factory, blown up beyond any reason."
The statue is reportedly on loan through August 2010, but is still in place as of April 2011.
Hamilton
A third Unconditional Surrender, on loan from Johnson's "Sculpture Foundation", was installed in Hamilton, New JerseyHamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey
Hamilton Township is a Township in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township had a total population of 88,464...
. Writing up this event, a staff writer for The Trentonian described Unconditional Surrender as a "masterpiece".
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
In August, 2011, a life-size version of the statue was unveiled in Waikiki and later taken to Battleship Missouri in Pearl Harbor where it will stay to commemorate the 66th anniversary of WWII’s end.External links
- SNN: Unconditional Surrender sparks debate, Sarasota Herald-TribuneSarasota Herald-TribuneThe Sarasota Herald-Tribune is a daily newspaper located in Sarasota, Florida.It is owned by The New York Times Company, who purchased it in 1982, and part of its regional news group. Along with Comcast, the newspaper operates a local 24-hour...
. Video; requires plug-in. - Ralph Graves, "Reject 'copycat' sailor statue", Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 21 August 2009.