A statue of a sailor celebrating the end of World War II by spontaneously kissing a woman in Times Square has been vandalised with a ‘MeToo’ message.

It came just two days after the sailor at the centre of the famous image used to develop the piece, George Mendonsa, died, aged 95.

Police in Florida said they were called to the ‘Unconditional Surrender” sculpture just before 1am Tuesday (local time) after a report someone had spray painted the hashtag about sexual harassment and assault onto the nurse’s leg.

“A canvass by officers was conducted in the area to locate spray paint bottles, however none were found,” the Sarasota Police Department said in a statement.

“During the canvass, no other objects were observed to be defaced or spray painted.”

The Department said there was no surveillance video from the area and no witnesses.

Damage to the statue was estimated at more than $1,000 “due to the large area that the graffiti covers, and the resources needed to repair it”.

The City of Sarasota was quick to clean it up.

Mendonsa was captured kissing dental assistant Greta Zimmer Friedman by photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt in New York on August 14, 1945, the day Japan surrendered to the US.

It would become one of the most famous photographs of the 20th century.

But while some view the kiss as a celebration, others have questioned whether it would be considered sexual assault in a modern context.