Lenin in Fremont

In Fremont, a controversial sculpture of Lenin has become a lasting focus for debate about art, history, and politics. Designed by Slavic artist Emil Venkov, the more than 7-ton sculpture took ten years to complete and was installed in Poprad, Slovakia, in 1988 before being toppled by revolution in 1989. It is presented as a unique portrayal of Lenin surrounded by guns and flames rather than shown with a book or waving his hat, reflecting Venkov's vision of Lenin as a violent revolutionary while still fulfilling a state commission. American veteran Lewis Carpenter discovered the sculpture lying face down in the mud while teaching in Poland, recognized Venkov's skill and boldness, mortgaged his house to acquire it, and brought it to his home in Issaquah, Washington. Carpenter hoped to make it the centerpiece of a Slovakian restaurant, but after his death in a car accident in 1994, his family worked with Fremont community representatives to place it there so it could be seen and enjoyed and perhaps find a permanent home. The sculpture was first placed near the northwest corner of Evanston Ave N and N 34th St on a parking lot used for Fremont Sunday Market overflow, but record winter rainfall in 1996-7 destabilized the ground, and engineers advised that removing the 8-ton statue would help prevent a slide. Local artists and activists then secured another site with a permanent pedestal, and Seattle Mayor Paul Schell signed the pedestal project during the cement pour. The 16-ft sculpture moved to its present site in 1997 and remained for sale, with reported asking prices rising from $150,000 in 1995 to $250,000 in 2001 and $300,000 in 2008, while offers to melt down the bronze were refused. Still owned by Carpenter's family, it continues to provoke strong reactions, with some seeing it as an affront because of suffering caused by Lenin's policies and others viewing it as a triumph of capitalism and whimsy over Soviet oppression.

Seattle, Washington · United States