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Pregnant Britney Sculpture Goes On Display in New York

Connecticut-based artist Daniel Edwards has never met Britney Spears, but that didn't stop him from commemorating her pregnancy in marble for a life-sized sculpture entitled "Monument to Pro-Life: The Birth of Sean Preston." The statue, which goes on display next week at the Capla Kesting Fine Art Gallery in Brooklyn, New York, has already generated a torrent of hate emails from Britney fans. No word yet on what the pop tart and her hip-hop wannabe hubby, Kevin Federline, think about the piece -- neither was consulted during its creation.

Edwards, 40, says his inspiration came from seeing a very pregnant Britney on the cover of Elle last October. Although he knew very little about Spears' music and public persona, he was struck by the image of a "beautiful woman...in the middle of a beautiful pregnancy." He became more intrigued when he learned more about the life of fame Britney was apparently willing to sacrifice to realize her goal of having a child.

"Britney provides inspiration for those struggling with the 'right choice,'" Edwards explains. "She's given up a career to have a child. That to me was a statement."

The art gallery's co-director Lincoln Capla further expands on the "pro-life" symbolism of the sculpture: "A superstar at Britney’s young age having a child is rare in today’s celebrity culture. This [piece] honors Britney for the rarity of her choice and bravery of her decision."

In the sculpture, a naked Spears splays on all fours on a bearskin rug, tilting her "widened hips" upward to reveal "the crowning of baby Sean’s head," according to a press release on the gallery's website.

"The monument also acknowledges the pop-diva’s pin-up past by showing Spears seductively posed on all fours atop a bearskin rug with back arched, pelvis thrust upward, as she clutches the bear’s ears with ‘water-retentive’ hands," the gallery press release adds.

Despite the artist and gallery's claims that the statue makes a pro-life statement, anti-abortion activists have not been enthusiastic in their response. Even a representative of the Manhattan Right to Life Committee, which will display literature at the statue's dedication, told the New York Sun, "At best, it's in poor taste. At worst, it's offensive."

Gallery co-director David Kesting remains hopeful that Britney will approve of the piece. "If [she] wants to come to the opening, I hope she brings Sean," he told one reporter.

When asked if Kevin Federline would also be welcome, Kesting asked, "Who is he?"

-- The ARTISTdirect Staff
03.28.06