In the species Figurative Sculpture there is a
small but exciting subset depicting despots. We've already posted on despot effigies,
of Saddam Hussein as in pulled to the ground by the US military and
private (suspended like a shark in a Hirst like tank, but there are others. Maurizio
Cattelan’s poignant Him is a
diminutive Hitler on his knees in prayer and now Vladimir Ilyich
Ulyanov aka Lenin. True, this Russian ring-in might seem too close to
genre wax works for purists but we’re pitching it for the sake of numbers. The
sculpture is life size and is we think the first sculpture of an embalmed body.
The scoop is that this time the body ‘breathes.’ “Oooh look at Vladimir
Ilyich’s chest going up and down” visitors exclaim as the animatronics kick in.
You can check out a live action video here
