Unconditional Surrender (sculpture)

A copyright-free Victor Jorgensen photograph, held in government archives and cited by Seward Johnson as the source for Unconditional Surrender, only extends to just below the knees of the subjects, failing to show the unusual stance of the woman—that is shown fully in the iconic Alfred Eisenstaedt photograph—and that nonetheless, appears in the statues
An aluminum copy of Unconditional Surrender during the temporary, ten-year display in Sarasota, Florida

Unconditional Surrender is a series of computer-generated statues by Seward Johnson that resemble an iconic 1945 photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt, V–J day in Times Square. However, they were said by Johnson to be based on a similar, lesser-known, photograph by Victor Jorgensen that is in the public domain. The first in the series was installed temporarily in Sarasota, Florida, then was moved to San Diego, California and New York City. Other copies have been installed in Hamilton, New Jersey; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; and Normandy, France. Johnson later identified the statue at exhibitions as "Embracing Peace" for the risqué double entendre when spoken.[1][2][3]

  1. ^ Martinez, Alanna, Monumental—and Controversial—’Kissing Sailor’ Sculpture Comes to Times Square, Observer, August 12, 2015
  2. ^ Fatkint, Neil, D-Day 75: Iconic D-Day statue to be unveiled at Historic Dockyard, The News, June 1, 2019
  3. ^ image of plaque, Embracing Peace Statue by Seward Johnson (National Harbor, Maryland), Youtube, June 23, 2016