Famous statues around the world wearing face masks

Whether you consider a face mask to be a serious fashion statement or an affront to your inalienable right to breathe freely, there is no doubt that wearing one protects you against the spread of Covid-19.

Or, as the New York Health Board starkly warned citizens during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic: “Better to be ridiculous than dead.”

Since some people still haven’t gotten the message, many larger-than-life role models have turned up around the world—famous statues adorned with masks. On Wall Street, Kristen Visbal’s beloved Fearless Girl sculpture looks no less brave with a blue surgical mask or any of the other colors she’s bullishly worn. And in Rio de Janeiro, the towering Christ the Redeemer statue had a mask projected on its face with a simple, powerful message on its chest: #MascaraSalva (which translates to masks save).

So the next time you feel foolish or frustrated for wearing a face mask in public, just explain that you’re doing it for the sake of art. You can claim to be Alec Monopoly. Pretend you’re one of Richard Prince’s nurses. Or you can just tell everyone that you’re feeling statue-esque.

GOLDEN IDLE: To encourage people to wear masks, a giant Buddha statue near Bangkok, Thailand set a good example.

MARCHING ORDERS: Commissioned in 1921 and completed in 1954, *Monumento das Bandeiras* (Monument to the Flags) was created by sculptor Victor Brecheret to commemorate the colonization of Brazil in the 17th century and stands at the entrance of Ibirapuera Park in São Paulo. More than 50 feet tall, the figures in the statue clearly can’t practice social distancing—so thoughtful citizens helped them stay safe.

Á VOTRE SANTÉ: The golden statues that line The Trocadéro in Paris wear face masks as they look after the Eiffel Tower. The eight golden figures are attributed to different sculptors and represent the Rights of Man, a reference to the 1789 document that outlined the freedoms human beings are entitled to. Or, as the French put it succinctly: *Liberté*. (They made a statue of her, too.)

HE WILL ROCK ONE: Even with his famous mustache obscured, the late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury is unmistakable in this statue in Montreux, Switzerland. And his voice can still be heard: Stay home.

FIGHTING SPIRIT: Rocky Balboa is such a favorite son in Philadelphia, that a statue of him (commissioned by Sylvester Stallone for *Rocky III*) was placed in front of the city’s art museum, near the steps he famously climbed. The Italian Stallion is also an inspiration for the staff at Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Massachusetts—every time a Covid-19 patient is discharged, doctors and nurses line the hallways to give a standing ovation for what’s come to be known as Code Rocky.

FIGHTING SPIRIT, PART TWO: In the city of Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a statue of the late martial arts legend Bruce Lee (by Croatian sculptor Ivan Fijolić) is armed with a face mask and a surgical glove. Lee’s daughter, Shannon, thanked the citizens of Bosnia for the tribute to her father, writing on Instagram: “A good martial artist does not come tense, but ready!” She also added, “Now if only the nunchucks worked in the fight against Covid!!”

LOOK OUT: Cyrus E. Dallin’s 1910 statue, *The Scout*, has watched over Kansas City, Missouri for nearly a century. His latest gear symbolizes a new mission.

MARYLAND MONROE: There’s no skirting the issue, Seward Johnson’s *Forever Marilyn* statue at the National Harbor in Maryland is ready for a seven-year itch—or a sneeze.

THE LONG RUN: The Boston Marathon may have been postponed in April, but that didn’t stop runners from adding a face mask to Rich Muno’s famed statue *Young at Heart*. The sculpture commemorates Johnny Kelley, who won the race for the first time in 1935, at 27, and when he finished his 58th Boston Marathon, at age 84. The symbolism is apt: As doctors often remind us, the battle to defeat Covid-19 is not a sprint but a marathon.

ART OF DARKNESS: Brazil is the epicenter of Covid-19 in South America, so what better way to convey the message that “masks save” than to project one on the face of the Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking Rio de Janeiro.

WE SHALL OVERCOME: In their fight to reopen America, protesters have likened themselves to civil rights icon Rosa Parks. But in Dallas, a memorial statue honoring Parks at a downtown bus stop reveals that she is keeping the faith with those who wear masks.

CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT: Since 1956, Alfred Auguste Janniot’s statue of Apollo has towered over Place Masséna in Nice, France. But this year the citizens had a powerful plea for the Greek god of healing and diseases with a mask that says, “protect us.”

CROONING AGAINST CORONA: A statue of Tony Bennett in San Francisco wears a mask in Giants colors. On April 25, residents joined the 93-year-old singer in a virtual sing-along of “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” as a tribute to frontline workers.

TEER CLEAR: Arturo Di Modica’s iconic statue in New York’s financial district is leading the charge on wearing a mask.

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