John Belardo Explains Why Modern Statues Fail

October 3, 2025

On the No Such Thing podcast, Lehman Adjunct Assistant Professor of Sculpture and Drawing John Belardo joined hosts Manny Fidel, Noah Friedman, and Devan Joseph to get to the bottom of the question, Why are modern statues so bad?

Focusing on three well-known examples of recent “fails”—statues of Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, basketball champion Dwyane Wade, and Martin Luther King Jr.—the conversation concluded that changes in sculptors’ skills, the artistic process, and the public’s expectations all come into play. While accurate scale and likeness in three dimensions are the artist’s responsibility, Belardo said, it can be difficult to fulfill public expectations in a society saturated with 2D media, and not every sculptor is set up for success. However, he also encouraged listeners to move past surface critiques and consider the careful craft and judgment required in creating successful public statues.Is a

Listen to the podcast.

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