A new monument meant to honor the legacies of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King, sparked backlash after it was unveiled in Boston last week, CNN reports. Critics have denounced the sculpture as visually unappealing, and others have mocked the monument for being reminiscent of a sexual act.
"The Embrace," a 20-foot tall and 40-foot wide sculpture, debuted on Friday on Boston Common, where King once spoke to a crowd of 22,000 on April 23, 1965. The $10 million bronze statue features the arms of the couple embracing, inspired by the photograph of King and Scott King hugging after he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. Conceptual artist Hank Willis Thomas designed the monument.
The abstract piece quickly generated criticism. Seneca Scott, a cousin of Scott King, argued the sculpture is an insult to his family, describing it as "masturbatory metal homage" in an essay for Compact Magazine.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Scott told CNN, "If you can look at it from all angles, and it's probably two people hugging each other, it's four hands. It's not the missing heads that's the atrocity that other people clamp onto that; it's a stump that looked like a penis. That's a joke."
However, not every relative denounced the abstract sculpture. The couple's eldest son Martin Luther King III, defended the statue in an interview with CNN's Don Lemon, expressing gratitude for a monument to his parent's love story.
"I think that's a huge representation of bringing people together," King III said. "I think the artist did a great job. I'm satisfied. Yeah, it didn't have my mom and dad's images, but it represents something that brings people together."
-
5 cracking cartoons about the new Cracker Barrel logoCartoons Artists take on MAGA designs, real issues, and more
-
Should you downsize for retirement? Here's what to consider.The Explainer Moving to a smaller place may seem easier, but there are also some real benefits to staying put
-
What to do if you want to move but don't want to give up your low mortgage ratethe explainer 30-year mortgage rates are currently averaging 7% — and homeowners who secured rates closer to 3% during the pandemic are reluctant to sell their homes
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
