Sculptor David Mach has insisted his self-declared ugliest work yet will remain on Kirkcaldy Esplanade despite claims it is crumbling.
Holes have appeared in Phantom, his controversial piece which stands outside the town’s Morrisons supermarket and has been compared to a whale’s penis.
Opinion has been divided over the 30ft tall sculpture crafted from driftwood and more than a million nails since it was erected two years ago.
But Turner Prize-nominee Mach, originally from Methil, has had it inspected and believes the £35,000 installation may have been deliberately damaged.
He said: “It’s supposed to rust, it’s not falling apart. There may be a little bit of repair work needed and if it is more than that I will make sure it is done.”
When it was unveiled, Mach, who was commissioned by Morrisons, said that nails would rust and change colour with time.
It was recently revealed, however, that many of the nails had fallen onto the paving round about, but they have since been cleared up.
Mach also insisted he remains proud of the abstract artwork, which was recently shortlisted for an award by the Public Monuments and Sculpture Association won by David Nash.
He said: “It’s an ugly son of a bitch that I made to stand on the prom at Kirkcaldy, the ugliest I’ve made in my life, but I still like it. I stand by that sculpture.”
Mach, who lives in London, is due to return to Fife next week and will inspect the sculpture himself following an initial third party assessment.
Kirkcaldy councillor Neil Crooks claimed the piece was an “embarrassment” to the renowned sculptor.
He said he would “not be sorry to see it taken down” as it had deteriorated and failed to achieve the ambition for an iconic piece of artwork.
He said: “People have called Mach’s work a whale’s penis, but since its erection it has not brought a lot of pleasure to its surroundings.”
