Bernini’s decision to create a marble sculpture may be some kind of visual pun on the myth - creating a stone version of a living creature that could turn men to stone. Unlike other depictions of the Medusa, such as Benevenuto Cellini’s Perseus and Medusa, the Medusa is not portrayed as a vanquished figure with her head severed from her body, but as a living monster.

The portrait draws on the myth of Medusa, the snake haired woman whose gaze could turn onlookers to stone. It was first documented in 1731 when presented to the Palazzo dei Conservatori in Rome, and is now part of the collections of the Capitoline Museums. Its precise date of creation is unknown, but it is likely to have been executed in the 1640s. It was executed by the Italian sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

Medusa is a marble sculpture of the eponymous character from the classical myth. 'How a Medusa Sculpture From a Decade Ago Became #MeToo Art'. 'Across From the New York County Criminal Court, a Public Statue Reimagines the Myth of Medusa'. ^ Di Liscia, Valentina (12 October 2020).^ '263 Bowery Pop-up Installation, November 2018- Jan 2019'.'What the People Behind NYC's Polarizing New Medusa Statue Want You to Know About It'. 'Why a New Statue of Medusa Is So Controversial'. ^ Ceren Çıplak Drillat (2 February 2018).Sculpture by Luciano Garbati, 92 inches' (Tweet) – via Twitter. 'Medusa con la cabeza de Perseo - Medusa holding Perseus' head. 'The story behind the Medusa statue that has become the perfect avatar for women's rage'. ^ a b c d Griffin, Annaliese (3 October 2020).'The Artist Behind a (Very Questionable) Nude Public Statue of Medusa as a Feminist Avenger Defends His Work'. ^ a b c Cascone, Sarah (13 October 2020).Some have drawn comparison between Medusa and the Harvey Weinstein sexual assault trial, which took place at the New York County Criminal Court. A bronze replica of Medusa was installed in Collect Pond Park, facing the New York County Criminal Court building. Īndersen and Garbati later collaborated on an application to New York City's Art in the Parks program. Medusa was the centerpiece of Medusa With The Head, a pop-up exhibition in the Bowery that ran from November 2018 to January 2019. This image was seen by New York photographer Bek Andersen, who quickly got into contact with an anonymous patron of the arts. In New York City Ī photograph of Medusa, captioned 'Be thankful we only want equality and not payback', went viral on social media in 2018. He would later state that he was unaware of Medusa's status as a feminist icon at the time. In an interview with Quartz, he drew the distinction between Cellini's Perseus and his Medusa in the former Perseus is triumphant, while in the latter Medusa is determined, and had acted in self defense. Garbati grew up in a small town near Florence, where Benvenuto Cellini's Perseus with the Head of Medusa is prominently displayed in the Loggia Lanzi of the Piazza della Signoria he admired Cellini's work, and wanted to reverse the roles of the narrative. The sculpture stands just over 2 metres tall. The original Medusa was sculpted in clay, then cast in resin with fibreglass reinforcements. The sculpture depicts a nude Medusa holding the head of Perseus in her right hand and a sword in her left. Garbati was copying Cellini's statue of Perseus.