Fascinated to see a wonderful sculpture of a water carrier in the centre of Reykjavik on our recent holiday visit to Iceland. She represents the hardship of the people of the city at the turn of the last century when, as ever, the women had to undertake the task of fetching water.
Apparently the people of the city were unimpressed: "The Water Carrier” sparked heated debates at the time; it was not considered beautiful enough to be placed in the heart of the capital, a distortion of a human being. People called it ugly and weird, said it had sagging shoulders, short legs and did not look like a proper person,” said Hafthór Yngvason, director of Reykavík Art Museum. “It was also a political issue […] about who should be remembered and how.” https://www.icelandreview.com/news/water-carrier-finally-comes-home-central-reykjavik/
And so the sculpture, from 1936-37, was banished to the sculptor's garden for many years, and then to the Met Office's area until she eventually made it to the long-desired city centre location in 2011 - "On Reykjavík’s 225th anniversary."