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A life-size nude sculpture of pop star Britney Spears giving birth on a bearskin rug has attracted angry mail from both sides of the US abortion debate, ahead of its exhibit in New York next month.
The sculpture by artist Daniel Edwards, titled "Monument to Pro-Life," will be shown at the Capla Kesting Fine Art Gallery in Brooklyn starting April 7.
"We've received hate mail. There's nothing we haven't got on this, and it continues," said gallery owner Lincoln Capla.
While pro-choice advocates have condemned the sculpture's anti-abortion message, the anti-abortion lobby has expressed some disquiet over the graphic nature of the work.
What the gallery termed an "idealised depiction" of Spears giving birth shows the pop star kneeling on her hands and knees, with widened hips and a posterior view that reveals the crowning of the baby's head.
Requests for comment from Spears's publicist were not immediately answered Wednesday.
"She hasn't made any contact so far," Capla said of Spears, who gave birth to her first child, Sean Preston, six months ago.
"Spears provides inspiration for those struggling with the right choice," Edwards said in a statement.
"She was number one with Google last year, with good reason. People are inspired by the beauty of a pregnant woman," he added.
Edwards said models he used when researching the sculpture included the wax figure of a pole-dancing Spears at the Madame Tussaud's in Las Vegas.
The vehemence of the advance response to the work has prompted the gallery to boost security for the exhibition.
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AFP 291852 GMT 03 06
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