Few pieces of public art are met with unanimous applause, but the 40,000-pound, 26-foot Marilyn Monroe that was erected in Chicago’s Pioneer Court was more hated than most.
Now, after 10 months of complaints from locals and critics alike – not to mention being voted America’s ‘worst piece of bad public art’ by one website – Forever Marilyn has finally been dismantled.
The giant sculpture depicted the icon in her famous Seven Year Itch pose, stood above a subway-grate struggling to keep her billowing dress in place.
It afforded passerby a view of Marilyn’s bum beneath her skirt and her famous legs, but even that wasn’t enough to win over the Windy City where the statue was repeatedly vandalized.
Local paper The Chicago Sun-Times ran a story called ‘Goodbye and good riddance, Norma Jean’ in response to the statue's removal, in which it was described as “breathtakingly tacky”.
Meanwhile, the man responsible for Forever Marilyn, artist Johnson said in statement reported by CBS Chicago: “I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing the variety of reactions to the sculpture.
“The City of Chicago is richly appreciative of public art in all its forms, and is a model for other cities to follow”
Marilyn will now make her way to Palm Springs in California where she’ll stay for a year - though quite was the Golden State will make of Hollywood's golden girl remains to be seen.
See the bizarre pictures of Forever Marilyn being dismanted: