Brit Artist Makes $2.7 Million Gold Statue of Kate Moss

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed)
Sep 2nd 2008 at 11:02AM

British artist Marc Quinn has cast a life-size solid gold statue of Kate Moss, valued at $2.7 million and said to be the world's largest gold statue made since the days of Ancient Egypt.

The statue, entitled Siren, is a larger, golden version of his 2006 marble statue of Moss, Sphinx, in a provocative yoga pose. Sphinx weighs in at 110 pounds, which is probably quite close to Moss' actual weight.

Quinn's work "deals with the distanced relationship we have with our bodies," according to his gallery's bio, "highlighting how the conflict between the 'natural' and 'cultural' has a grip on the contemporary psyche." Moss is "the ideal beauty of the moment," the artist tells Vogue UK.

Siren will be on display alongside works by Damien Hirst and others at the British Museum in London for its Satuephilia show running from Oct. 4 - Jan. 25. See the gallery for more examples of Quinn's work.

Gallery: The Art of Marc Quinn