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Secondary sourceSculpture1956

Tomb of Karl Marx

Laurence Bradshaw · 1956

The 1956 monument at Highgate Cemetery marking Marx's grave, featuring a large bronze bust by sculptor Laurence Bradshaw.

This is Marx's grave and memorial, built decades after his death to commemorate his life and ideas.

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Bronze bust of a bearded man with a granite tomb beneath it in a wooded cemetery. The granite base carries gold lettering reading 'Workers of all land unite' and 'Karl Marx', plus a plaque listing family names, and flowers lie at the base.
Laurence Bradshaw, Tomb of Karl Marx, 1956. Highgate Cemetery, London.

About this source

What it is

This tomb in Highgate Cemetery, London, holds the remains of Karl Marx, his wife Jenny von Westphalen, and other family members. Designed by Laurence Bradshaw and funded by the Communist Party of Great Britain, it was unveiled in 1956, decades after Marx's death in 1883.

Why it matters

The monument shows how Marx was remembered and used symbolically long after his death. Inscribed with the closing words of The Communist Manifesto, it became a pilgrimage site for communists worldwide, and also a target for his opponents, including bombings and vandalism, showing the continuing political passions his ideas provoke.

Look closer

  • Why do you think a political party paid for this monument rather than Marx's family?
  • What does the inscription tell visitors the monument's makers wanted Marx to be remembered for?
  • Why might this tomb have been attacked by vandals over the years?

This sculpture is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Karl Marx on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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