International Law

Martin Luther King Statue Built in China Must Be Reworked

It is shocking enough that a Chinese national, rather than an American, won the commission to sculpt the body of Martin Luther King. Even more outrageous that the model of the sculpture is fashioned in Changsha.

But look at it! An aggressive, unsympathetic posture -- arms crossed! Not representative of the inspirational Reverend leader, but of a Communist war-hero. What a horror!

A powerful federal arts commission is urging that the sculpture of Martin Luther King Jr. proposed for a memorial on the Tidal Basin be reworked because it is too "confrontational" and reminiscent of political art in totalitarian states.

This commission should be taken away from the sculptor and awarded to someone who understands, in the American context, the value and meaning of the movement for equal rights and Martin Luther King's place in it.

Full post as published by Asia Business Intelligence on May 09, 2008 (boomark / email).