Whose gleaming, gilded face is this, pictured at left? The answer is none other than exalted supermodel Kate Moss - or, rather, the solid gold statue of Kate created by British artist Marc Quinn. The idol cost no less than $2.8 million to make (who funded this?!) and weighs in at 110 pounds (possibly more than Moss herself?), and will soon be taking up residence in the same British Museum gallery where ancient Greek sculpture is displayed. Apparently, this is "the largest such creation built since ancient Egypt." When asked about his golden girl, Quinn said:

"I thought the next thing to do would be to make a sculpture of the person who’s the ideal beauty of the moment…But even Kate Moss doesn’t live up to the image."

Hmm. So apparently this sculpture is a commentary on how society celebrates supermodels as examples of physical perfection, ignoring the fact that they’re flawed human beings and that no woman can measure up to the notion of "ideal beauty." Choosing to make a solid gold idol of a fashion model also seems to be saying that celebrities are our modern-day deities. What do you think? Do we really worship at the altar of beauty and illusion, or is Marc Quinn overstating his case with Golden Kate?

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