statuomanian.
/ˌstatʃuːəˈmeɪnɪə/, /ˌstatjuːəˈmeɪnɪə/, U.S. /ˌstætʃuəˈmeɪniə/ Now rare (chiefly historical).
Excessive or passionate enthusiasm for erecting statues. Chiefly with reference to France.
ΚΠ
1882 Contemp. Rev. Oct. 656 The rage for statues, now being erected all over France, seems to be degenerating into a statuomania.
1888 Illustr. London News 3 Mar. 217/2 When will statuomania end in France?
1910 Washington Post 17 Oct. 6/7 It is time..to put an end to this ‘statuomania’ of Paris.
1983 E. Hobsbawm in E. Hobsbawm & T. O. Ranger Invention of Trad. vii. 272 The major characteristic of French ‘statuomania’ was its democracy, anticipating that of the war memorials after 1914-18.
2007 P. Edwards Cambodge ii. 46 Town planners [in Europe] were focusing on the use of public space and national monument to strengthen national pride, leading to a veritable ‘statuomania’.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2012; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1882