Madame Tussauds London
Madame Tussauds in London helps you get to know people from history or even your favorite movie star. Creating truly fantastic images of iconic figures requires a lot of effort and time, and visitors to the British Wax Museum highly appreciate the exhibits. The institution has 23 branches in different cities.
The first sculptor
Madame Tussauds Museum in London is named after Anna Maria Tussauds, she was an experienced wax sculptor who began working on her masterpieces from an early age. After her father's death, her mother worked with Philippe Curtius, an anatomist who ran a workshop in Bern. Curtius fell in love with young Marie and later became her guardian and mentor. It is believed that she created the initial sculpture from the image of the writer and philosopher Francois Voltaire at the age of 16. Tussauds opened the museum in 1835, and it has remained a fantastic destination for tourists ever since.
Creating a wax figure
The team working on the statues at Madame Tussauds in London spends about 4 months creating each model. This process is expensive, and it is estimated that about 280,000 pounds are invested in each figure. The wax replicas at Madame Tussauds are slightly larger than real people because of the wax, which can melt. For this reason, the team tries to build them 2% larger than their real counterparts to account for their shrinkage.
The struggle for property
Madame Tussauds in London was the first museum to be established on London's famous Baker Street. However, it is now located on Marylebone Road, having moved in 1884. The museum changed hands several times. Not once have interested parties sold and bought the museum, Dubai Capital bought the exhibits in 2005. The brand is now owned by the British entertainment company Merlin PLC.
World fame
Madame Tussauds in London is expensive: to buy a collection, you need to shell out at least $ 1.9 billion. The museum features many famous people from royalty to movie stars. However, it also depicts historical figures and even criminals.
It is known that the Madame Tussauds Museum in London housed a wax replica of Adolf Hitler, which was removed in 2016 after widespread complaints. Similar museums in honor of Tussauds are open all over the world, although its main exhibits are in London. You will find wax figures in China, Czech Republic, Germany, Japan, Turkey, Canada, USA and Australia.
