'Unconditional Surrender' Statue Moved To New Spot On Bayfront

SARASOTA, FL — The controversial World War II statue “Unconditional Surrender” depicting a celebration of the war’s end was moved a short distance to its new location in Bayfront Park Thursday.

The 25-foot-tall sculpture was moved to make way for a new roundabout that’s being built at U.S. 41 and Gulfstream Avenue. The statue will now stand along the bayfront between O’Leary’s Tiki Bar & Grill and Marina Jack. The Sarasota City Commission approved the move in November after months of debate.

The city of Sarasota streamed the statue’s move on its Facebook page Thursday.

"Unconditional Surrender" is a three-dimensional depiction of the iconic photograph "V-J Day in Times Square" by Alfred Eisenstaedt. In the image, the photographer captured a U.S. Navy sailor grabbing and kissing a woman in a white dress – a complete stranger – on the streets of New York City on Aug. 14, 1945, the day the United States declared victory over Japan, ending World War II. It was published in Life magazine.

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The statue has been a hot topic of debate in Sarasota, as it’s lauded by some as a celebration of the end of World War II and criticized by others as a symbol of a woman groped against her will. Others are concerned about the possibilities of copyright infringement because Time Inc. owns the rights to the original image.

The statue was conceptualized by artist J. Seward Johnson, who conceptualized the piece. Johnson, who died in March, was heir to the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical fortune.