Taxpayers forked out more than $200,000 for a statue of former Progressive Labour Party leader Dame Lois Browne-Evans, The Royal Gazette can reveal.And the pricetag for the public artwork — which was completed by American-based sculptor Zenos Frudakis for $218,610.60 — has provoked fresh outrage among local artists who claim the commission could have been carried out by a Bermudian at a lower price.The controversial life-size bronze, which now stands in the foyer of the Dame Lois Browne-Evans court building on Court Street, was commissioned by the former PLP Government in 2010. Dame Lois was the Island’s first female barrister, female Attorney General and female Opposition Leader. She died in 2007, at the of age 79.At the time of the commission, the former Government insisted Mr Frudakis had submitted a cheaper bid than Island competitors.“Quite simply, our decision to engage with Mr Frudakis was based upon his international reputation, his ability to deliver the sculpture on time, at relatively short notice, and the reasonable cost of his work,” then-Works and Engineering Minister Derrick Burgess said in December 2010.But The Royal Gazette has been unable to track down any resident artist approached by Government to submit a bid for the commission. Instead, Bermudian artists claim they were shut out of the tendering process and that a contract with the American was signed off by Government without any attempt to offer out the commission locally.And those claims were supported by Royal Gazette art critic Charles Zuill, who described the tendering process as “a slap in the face” to local artistic talent. Dr Zuill also suggested that a local artist, familiar with the personality and drive of the late PLP leader, would have been better equipped to render a more lifelike image.Last night internationally-renowned sculptor Desmond Fountain, whose work includes a life-size statue of Johnny Barnes, said that he could have produced a statue for less than the $218,000 paid out by the former Government.And he accused the former administration of misleading the public over its claims that it had put the commission out to tender locally.“It remains a shame that no Bermudian was given a chance to even quote, and it is a travesty to suggest that Bermudians would have been more expensive — mine wouldn’t have been,” Mr Fountain said.“Government blatantly lied about the commission, saying that the quotes from Bermuda were more expensive — but no one we know was approached for a quotation, and the rumour was that it was in fact more expensive than any sculptor based in Bermuda would have charged.“One could point out that, had it been sculpted on the Island by a Bermudian, many people who knew Dame Lois could have been helpful in confirming the likeness prior to casting. There might have been a greater chance of achieving a better end-result, but we will never know, will we.”Fellow artist Manuel Palaceo described the commissioning process as flawed, adding: My belief is that the project was a gross misappropriations of public funds. Yes, I think the public should know how their monies were spent or wasted.“The foundry could have cast two or more statues that could have been placed in other Government buildings, collage, library or parks and this would have brought down the cost for each individual piece. Furthermore, Government could have asked for donors to fundraise within the community, empowering them as part owners and bringing attention to the works of Dame Lois Browne Evans.“All of this could have been done effectively by a local artist. There was no need to go to the US.”Last night Dr Zuill maintained that the commission should have been awarded to a local artist.“Irrespective of cost, I just feel that a Bermudian artist could have done a better job,” the critic, art historian and former university lecturer said.“We have artists who are, at the very least, technically on a par with Mr Frudakis, if not better. We have artists on the Island whose reputation is equal to that of Mr Frudakis. In fact I think it would be fair to say that Mr Frudakis isn’t that well-known, either here or internationally. For Mr Burgess to claim that he has an ‘international reputation’ simply isn’t true.“Furthermore, any local artist would have far greater insight into the personality and legacy of Dame Lois, and I’m sure that would have been reflected in their work.“The Frudakis sculpture lacks something unquantifiable, something that you can’t put a price on. For the previous Government to claim that cost was a determining factor in awarding the commission just doesn’t make sense — particularly in light of the fact that local artists are now claiming that they could have produced comparative work for a similar price. Mr Burgess’s suggestion that it was cheaper to hire Mr Frudakis quite simply doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. A truer representation of Dame Lois could have been achieved and that would have been priceless.“Was it ever put out to tender in the first place? I don’t know, but if not, the former Government needs to explain why not.”