A mysterious Scottish street artist known as the Rebel Bear has given Glasgow's famous Duke of Wellington statue a new look, replacing the traffic cone that has sat atop the duke's head for decades with a pigeon reading a newspaper. The artist, often dubbed Scotland's answer to Banksy, created this latest installation on the beloved statue located outside the Gallery of Modern Art in Royal Exchange Square.
The Duke of Wellington statue has become one of Glasgow's most recognizable landmarks, not for its historical significance, but for the bright orange traffic cone that locals continuously place on the bronze duke's head. This ongoing tradition has turned the 19th-century monument into an unofficial symbol of the city's rebellious spirit and sense of humor.
The Rebel Bear's intervention transforms this long-standing joke into a more sophisticated piece of street art. The carefully crafted pigeon appears to be casually perched on the duke's head while reading what appears to be a daily newspaper, creating a whimsical scene that comments on both urban life and the daily routine of city dwellers.
This latest work continues the Rebel Bear's pattern of creating thought-provoking street art throughout Scotland's major cities. The anonymous artist has gained recognition for installations that blend humor with social commentary, often targeting well-known monuments and public spaces to make statements about contemporary life and culture.
