Acclaimed author Charles Dickens is soon to have a statue placed in his likeness in Portsmouth`s Guildhall Square in the UK for the 133rd anniversary of his death. It will be unveiled on June 9th, 2013. Gillian Anderson has just been appointed as patron of the Charles Dickens Statue Fund, which has been in charge of raising the necessary money to finish the project.
The statue was supposed to be revealed in 2012 on the 200th anniversary of Dickens’ birth; however, there was insufficient funding and it had to be reschedule. Oxford sculptor Martin Jennings is responsible for the artwork, which shows the author reading in a chair.
Currently, the project needs to raise the final 25,000, and Miss Anderson has agreed to support the fund and help raise this money. As a matter of fact, Ian Dickens, Charles’ great-great-grandson, has thanked the actress on behalf of the campaign and is certain that her reputation and previous work with Dickens` literature will help bring this project to its proper ending.
As we all know, Miss Anderson has portrayed two of Dickens` most memorable characters, “Lady Dedlock” in Bleak House and “Miss Havisham” in Great Expectations, both BBC productions with acclaimed reception and several accolades.
The BBC South aired an interview with sculptor Martin Jennings on January 23rd to reveal for the first time the model of the statue and discuss the current details of the project.
If you are a fan of Charles Dickens` work and would like to donate to the statue project, please go to the official website and access the link for further instructions.