Harry Kane statue that is ‘stuff of nightmares’ unveiled after four years hidden away

A statue of Harry Kane which was dubbed the ‘stuff of nightmares’ has been unveiled to the public after spending nearly five years hidden away in storage.

The sculpture, which was completed in 2020 at a cost of £7,200, has been installed at The Peter May Centre in Walthamstow. It features Kane sitting on a green bench while holding a football on his thigh.

It was initially set to be placed on a platform at Chingford station, but those plans were shelved following a risk assessment carried out by TFL. The idea of installing the statue at Ridgeway Park, where Kane played football as a youngster, was also rebuffed.

Kane was present for the grand unveiling, which took place on Monday, and was seen posing for pictures with the unique sculpture. It has been placed in front of a large mural dedicated to Kane, who added his signature to the wall.

The statue has divided opinion, with critics branding it the ‘stuff of nightmares’ when imagery was released earlier this year. Art critic Estelle Lovatt said it lacked ‘aesthetic creativity’ and that, in her opinion, it bore little resemblance to Kane.

She told Sky News: “If you think about it historically, a public statue was there to immortalise, show off and loudly boast of the achievements and accomplishments of the person. If it doesn’t really bear a resemblance to the person, it’s quite difficult to relate to it.

“I just thought the Roman emperors wouldn’t have put up with it, with this sort of standard. It’s imposing because of its size and it’s fantastical because of its size, but it lacks any aesthetic creativity.

“When it becomes quite a laughable depiction, that doesn’t empower the craftsman or the artist or indeed the master they are trying to capture, it sort of lets everybody down.”

Earlier this year, a spokesperson for Kane said they were ‘really excited’ about the statue, which was commissioned to honour his legacy as England’s greatest goalscorer and a hero for the people of Walthamstow.

“Especially with Harry being England and Tottenham’s all-time top goalscorer, it is what he deserves,” said the spokesperson.

“The location of the statue is really important to us. Like Emma [Best, local councillor] said, we are having some issues at the moment but when we get it right, we will be happy to go.”