Art or censorship? Expo omits bottom of famed David statue

Michelangelo’s David, shown in its longtime home at the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence. A 3D replica of the legendary sculpture, installed at the Italy pavilion at Expo 2020 in Dubai, is proving controversial for the exclusionary way in which it is displayed. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, credited to Commonists and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
Michelangelo’s David, shown in its longtime home at the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence. A 3D replica of the legendary sculpture, installed at the Italy pavilion at Expo 2020 in Dubai, is proving controversial for the exclusionary way in which it is displayed. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, credited to Commonists and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
Michelangelo’s David, shown in its longtime home at the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence. A 3D replica of the legendary sculpture, installed at the Italy pavilion at Expo 2020 in Dubai, is proving controversial for the exclusionary way in which it is displayed. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, credited to Commonists and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – One of the most talked about attractions at the world’s fair under way in Dubai is a towering statue made of marble dust that’s raising eyebrows just as the original did more than 500 years ago.

At Italy’s pavilion, a 3D replica of Michelangelo’s David stands tall, his gaze intense and defiant. For most visitors, though, David’s head is all they will see as they tour the pavilion. Only VIPs with special access will be able to catch a view of the statue from head to toe while it’s on display for the next six months at Dubai’s Expo 2020.

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