Fans blast new bronze statue of Sofia Vergara after it was unveiled in her hometown

Daily Mail​

16-07-2025

Fans blasted a new bronze statue of Sofia Vergara after it was unveiled in her hometown.
The sculpture was inaugurated on the riverfront promenade of the Colombian city of Barranquilla on July 1, the actress's 53rd birthday.
The enormous tribute to the Hollywood star stands at 7.5metres (24' 7') tall and weighs a whopping 5.5 tonnes (865 st).
It was created by renowned sculptor Yino Marquez, who spent seven months working on it in his workshop and was assisted by six young students and graduates of a local art school.
However, fans were left less than impressed claiming that the statue looked nothing like her with some saying it looked more like Jessica Rabbit.
When asked by MailOnline in an online poll 54% of people agreed and said they didn't think the statue looked like Sofia.
Others commented: 'Could be anybody, what a waste of money...'; 'Looks nothing like her'; 'Oh yeah, it looks exactly like her...NOT!!';
'I don't see how anyone could recognise the face on that thing. When they mentioned Columbia in the article I assumed that's who it was. While she is an absolute stunner at 52, that statue is an absolute miss. Horrible';
'The sculptor is not very good at faces, must have gone to the same art school as the guy who did Ronaldo.'
The unveiling ceremony was led by the Colombian city's mayor, Alejandro Char.
He told the assembled crowd: 'Barranquilla is at your feet. Thank you for being who you are, thank you for being proudly Barranquillera.
Char said of Sofia Vergara, who the statue was modelled after: 'She's never stopped being one of us - she never changed her accent.
'She's always stayed true to herself: her spirit, her joy, her determination. And look where it's taken her - so far.'
Marquez also created Barranquilla's Shakira statue, which was unveiled on 26 December 2023.
However, fans were left less than impressed claiming that the statue looked nothing like her with some saying it looked more like Jessica Rabbit
It stands on the same promenade, is also made of bronze, but is a metre shorter than his latest piece.
The Shakira statue went viral at the time for a spelling mistake on the plaque.
It read: 'Made by artist Yino MArques in the La Paz neighbourhood with the support of students and graduates of the District School of Arts.'
The sculptor's name - this time spelt correctly - appeared below it.
Local man David asked at the time: 'Can someone please explain whether the artist's last name is with an S or a Z?
'This kind of mistake really annoys me. I appreciate the tribute, but this detracts a lot.'