Wallace Statue Campaign

Our current campaign is to complete the funding of a full-size bronze statue of the 19th Century naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, who died 100 years ago on 7 Nov 1913.

Wallace was the co-discoverer, along with Charles Darwin, of evolution by natural selection – one of the ‘Greatest thoughts ever to have occurred in the mind of man’ – and the knowledge of which underpins all the life sciences.

It was at a meeting of the Linnean Society on 1st July 1858 that essays by both Wallace and Darwin were read publicly for the first time, outlining the discovery which, although not recognised as such at the time, was to rock scientific and, more especially, theological society for years to come.

There are still places where the ‘theory’ of evolution, which is as close to being an absolute proven fact as anything in science, is still sometimes not fully accepted, due primarily to the enduring power of religious dogma.

Entangled Bank is delighted to have been chosen by Dr George Beccaloni’s Wallace Memorial Fund to continue the fund-raising efforts. A previous campaign for a Wallace statue began in 1913, but failed due to the distraction of WWI. This time the campaign, with your generous help, will not fail.

The statue is being made by acclaimed sculptor Anthony Smith, who, amongst other impressive commissions, produced a statue of ‘The Young Charles Darwin’ for Christ’s College Cambridge, and was recently chosen by the Royal Mint to produce the design for a new £2 coin.

The statue will show avid collector Wallace as a young man, dressed for the jungle and in dynamic pose, with his net and other insect collecting equipment, about to snare yet another specimen.

It will be donated to London’s Natural History Museum, probably the most prestigious scientific museum in the world, where it will stand outside the new Darwin Centre 2 building, where many of Wallace’s insect specimens are exhibited, and near the wildlife garden.

We are delighted that Sir David Attenborough has agreed to unveil the statue on 7th November, the exact centenary of Wallace’s death.

It will be a remarkable and eye-catching work-of-art, destined to stand testament to this equally-remarkable man’s memory for centuries to come.

Support the Campaign

Here is the opportunity to contribute to the statue. How satisfying it will be to tell your grandchildren, as you guide them into the museum, “See that statue there, just a little piece of it was mine!”

It was a struggle to have the idea of a bronze statue accepted at all, as massively-skilled realist art is currently so out-of-fashion with the Art Establishment – with their heads full of conceptual installations, dead cows and dirty bed sheets – that the idea of a boring old bronze planted in a garden was anathema to them. So here’s an wonderful opportunity, by clicking the Paypal donate button below, to tell said Art Establishment to get stuffed. Believe us, it will feel good!

If you are considering a major donation, please don’t use PayPal, but contact us directly. We have some very special inducements on offer for major donors. Please ask!