Statue of Jan Smuts, Parliament Square
A life-size bronze statue of Jan Smuts by the British artist Jacob Epstein stands on the north side of Parliament Square in London, United Kingdom, between a statue of Lord Palmerston and a statue of David Lloyd George.[1]
Statue of Jan Smuts | |
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![]() The statue in 2013 | |
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Artist | Jacob Epstein |
Medium | Bronze sculpture |
Subject | Jan Smuts |
Location | London, United Kingdom |
51°30′03″N 0°07′37″W |
Description
The statue depicts him in his military uniform as a field marshal, leaning forward with his left leg advanced, as if walking forward. The statue stands on a pedestal of granite from South Africa, which bears the inscription JAN/ CHRISTIAN/ SMUTS/ 1870–1950.
History
After Winston Churchill won the 1951 UK general election in October 1951, he proposed erecting a statue in Parliament Square as a memorial to Smuts, who had died in September 1950. Churchill retired as prime minister in 1955, and was too ill to perform the unveiling in November 1956; it was unveiled instead by the Speaker of the House of Commons, William Morrison. The statue became a Grade II listed building in 1970.[2]
References
- "Statues". Greater London Authority. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
- https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1226373
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Statue of Jan Smuts, Parliament Square, London. |
- Jan Christian Smuts – Parliament Square, London, UK at Waymarking
- Statue of Field Marshal Jan Smuts, National Heritage List for England Historic England
- Smuts statue, londonremembers.com
- Parliament Square Garden, london.gov.uk
- The Statues of Parliament Square, Bowl Of Chalk – London Walking Tours, 12 November 2013
- Parliament Square statues, Bob Speel
- Smuts Statue Unveiled 1956, Pathé