PHOTOS: Unconditional Surrender Statue Returns To Sarasota

The Kissing Sailor statue was struck by a car on April 26 and was sent out for repairs.

The kissing sailor statue is back on Sarasota's bayfront Tuesday morning and the love and hate for the statue remains unconditional seven months after its removal. The statue, Unconditional Surrender, was struck by a Mercedes Benz on April 26 and was lowered by crane after it received extensive damage. The Sarasota Arts Foundation with help from The Sculpture Foundation was able to send it for repairs to Johnson Atelier in New Jersey. "The Sculpture Foundation is delighted by the enthusiasm the people of Sarasota have shown for the sculpture’s return and appreciate their sense of loss in its absence,” the foundation announced in a statement. The statue was insured for about $560,000, but damages were estimated to be beyond that. The statue…

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Ken Jones

10:43 pm on Saturday, December 8, 2012

Hawkeye , glad to see someone stick up for real art, Claire would rather have the stacked up car art that littered the right of way a few years back. A few suggestions for those that "hate" this work of art,#1 Move away from Sarasota , then you won't be forced to look at it! #2 Run for elected office in Sarasota then you can help detirmine what art should be displayed. #3 buy a GPS you can get to…   more ›

'Unconditional Surrender' statue's return delayed

The crowd-pleasing “Unconditional Surrender” statue will be a no-show for Veteran’s Day, as repair work has taken longer than expected.

Sarasota, Siesta Key Are Just Diamonds Along Florida's Highways

WEDU series "Diamonds Along The Highway" features Siesta Key on this week's episode of the Florida history and heritage show.

Whether in Sarasota or somewhere in Florida, you'll find precious jewels of Florida heritage and history — even international history — living right here. Mining the state for those treasured stories in the Sunshine State is what a five-part series on PBS station WEDU aims to do. The Jack Kerouac-inspired Diamonds Along The Highway is a team effort between writer/producer Mark Reese, who splits time between Venice and Los Angeles, and Reese's friend of 12 years, Gus Mollasis of Sarasota. Florida really doesn't have a series that "showcases important people, places and things about this great state. There's so much diversity in Florida," Reese told Patch. "… We have such great diversity from the northern part of the state to the southern …

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Is This The Real KISS Statue Couple?

In the book, "The Kissing Sailor: The Mystery Behind The Photo that Ended World War II," the author claims that Greta Friedman of Frederick, Maryland, is the iconic nurse.

A new book claims that a Frederick, Maryland, woman is the nurse in the iconic Unconditional Surrender photo, which was replicated into several statues including the one that will return to Sarasota this summer. In the book, The Kissing Sailor: The Mystery Behind The Photo that Ended World War II, author Lawrence Verria writes that he believes that Greta Friedman is the nurse. The book is published by the Naval Institute Press. Verria told WHAG, a Hagerstown, Maryland NBC affiliate, that the woman is undeniably Friedman:  "Of the three people that came forward, Greta Friedman was the only one that it could possibly be," said Verria, "Her height is correct, her body build is correct, her hairdo is correct based on pictures from that time …

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Up Chuck

Memorial Day Not The Same Without 'Unconditional Surrender'

Whether you like "Unconditional Surrender" or not, without it Memorial Day doesn't have that Sarasota vibe.

Your Turn: Tell us where you'd like to place Unconditional Surrender on our map above by plotting a point at this link on Google Maps . Sorry, but "Where the Sun doesn't shine" isn't a mapable location. Statues and memorials are the universal way we pay homage to a snapshot in time, and this Memorial Day weekend Sarasota doesn't feel like Sarasota without Unconditional Surrender. When you look back at it, it's ironic that a statue capturing a moment in time that was suppose to unify a nation, split the art community here and then literally split into pieces. The styrofoam and aluminum cast statue is in New Jersey now for repairs. Look, it's not the greatest piece of art, but it is a conversation starter and it attracts crowds. I would …

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