ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Shanghai sculpture removed after plagiarism allegations referencing Wendy Taylor's work

cultural-heritage · 2026-04-20

A sculpture installed along Shanghai's Huangpu River was being removed last week after accusations of plagiarism. The work closely resembled British artist Wendy Taylor's 1973 site-specific sculpture Timepiece, located on the Thames near Tower Bridge in London. Taylor had been alerted to the similarity between her London installation and the Shanghai piece. This incident follows a previous complaint by Anish Kapoor regarding another Chinese public sculpture that resembled his Cloud Gate work installed in Chicago in 2006. The Telegraph reported on the removal process.

Key facts

  • A sculpture in Shanghai was removed last week
  • The sculpture was installed on the banks of the Huangpu River in Shanghai
  • The sculpture resembled Wendy Taylor's 1973 work Timepiece
  • Timepiece is located on the Thames near Tower Bridge in London
  • Wendy Taylor is a British artist
  • Anish Kapoor previously complained about a similar incident in China
  • Kapoor's Cloud Gate was installed in Chicago in 2006
  • The Telegraph reported on the removal

Entities

Artists

  • Wendy Taylor
  • Anish Kapoor

Institutions

  • The Telegraph

Locations

  • Shanghai
  • China
  • Huangpu River
  • London
  • United Kingdom
  • Thames
  • Tower Bridge
  • Chicago
  • United States

Sources