In a Reversal, London Will Keep Two Statues of Slaveowners on View (But With Explanatory Texts)
Plaques will now be installed alongside the memorials of William Beckford and Sir John Cass.
A pair of prominent monuments celebrating British politicians with ties to the transatlantic slave trade will remain on view in London, a city agency voted last week. The move effectively reversed an earlier decision, made at the beginning of this year, to remove the controversial objects from view.
The statues of William Beckford and Sir John Cass will be “retained and contextualized,” according to an announcement from the City of London Corporation, the municipal governing body that oversees the historic Square Mile financial sector where the memorials are located. Plaques will now be installed alongside the memorials with information about the figures’ ties to slavery.
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/two-london-statues-slaveowners-will-remain-2019597