Shalyapin haykali, Moskva, Statue in Novinsky Boulevard, Moscow, Russia
The Shalyapin Memorial is a 2.5-metre bronze statue on Novinsky Boulevard beside the Shalyapin House-Museum. Sculptor Vadim Tserkovnikov shows the bass singer half-reclining against an uprooted tree, copying a lost Ilya Repin painting. The cut trunk stands for eternal rest and memory, while the torn roots mean that despite emigration he remained at home in spirit.
Sculptor Vadim Tserkovnikov created the statue, installed on 30 July 2003 on Novinsky Boulevard beside the Shalyapin House-Museum. Funding was to come from off-budget sources, and the installation was not agreed with Moscow authorities, carried out almost secretly at night. The pose follows a lost painting by Ilya Repin, showing the singer half-reclining against an uprooted tree.
Since 2009 the statue has hosted a fan memorial to Michael Jackson: after his death on 25 June 2009, admirers moved from the US embassy fence on Novinsky Boulevard to the nearby Shalyapin monument. Fans call it the "wall of memory", decorating the railing and pedestal with portraits, flowers, candles and stage props, and gathering twice a year, on 25 June and 29 August.
The statue stands on Novinsky Boulevard beside the Shalyapin House-Museum, not on the Garden Ring. It was installed on the night of 30 July 2003 without agreement from Moscow authorities, so look for it close to the museum building. The figure sits low on a mound of earth, at eye level with passers-by.
Since 2009 the statue has hosted a fan memorial to Michael Jackson: after his death on 25 June 2009, admirers moved from the US embassy fence to this spot, decorating the railing and pedestal with portraits, candles and stage props. Gatherings are held twice a year, on 25 June and 29 August, and in 2013 included a dance flash mob.
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