San Diego’s Kissing Statue to Remain on Bay

Byline: Taylor Hill SAN DIEGO — Since 2007, a 25-foot foam statue dubbed “Unconditional Surrender” has been prominently displayed at San Diego’s Tuna Harbor, and it could be set to stay for much longer. The sculpture, designed after Alfred Eisenstaedt’s iconic photograph of a sailor and a nurse embracing in Times Square on V-J Day at the end of World War II, has drawn both praise and criticism over the years. Now, what was planned as a temporary art display in the harbor has been approved by the San Diego Board of Port Commissioners for permanent display. At their March 6 meeting, commissioners voted to accept a local group’s offer to donate a painted bronze version of the statue to the Port of San Diego, as long as the necessary funds are raised over the next 12 months. “I can understand looking at this and people saying, ‘this is not art,’” said chairman Lou Smith. “But I look at it, and there’s always people there. There’s something magical about this statue.” The permanent statue creation and installation is expected to cost nearly $990,000. Mac McLaughlin, president of USS Midway Museum, told commissioners that the museum is prepared to launch a fundraising effort to get the...