"The Embrace"

Has Not Been Wholeheartedly Embraced
 
 "The Embrace" is a sculpture now found in Boston. It is pictured above and is over 20 feet tall. It can be viewed from another angle in the image below. 

   

  The statute is commemorating Martin Luther King, Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King, and they are the ones embracing. The bronze sculpture is meant to represent the embrace pictured below when MLK won the Nobel Prize in 1964. 

  There are other angles from which the statue can be observed and many who have viewed it are not happy with any of them. Here is one example, which is perhaps safe to cite: 

“Given that I am not White, I am safe from ANY charges of racism for saying the MLK embrace statue is aesthetically unpleasant. The famous photo should have been a FULL statue of the couple and their embrace. What a huge swing and miss in honoring the Dr & Mrs King. SAD!” tweeted Boston Herald columnist Rasheed N. Walters."

Public Art Is Problematic
   There are two reasons why I noticed the dispute about the object in the Boston Common and it is a fitting way to end what has been a long "Black History Month." You will recall that there are quite a few posts on MM which involve statues. There are even some about statutes carved out of butter. Generally they are subjects about which there have been arguments, but those controversies have been political in nature. The statutes have been removed or destroyed because the person sculpted can no longer be tolerated. In this instance the debate is largely an aesthetic one. Given that I am White, I will not offer a view and simply provide some sources for you to use, so you can judge for yourself. 
   The second reason I noticed all of this is because of the sculptor. His name is Hank Willis Thomas. You may recall the story I told about another of his "Black Sculptures," which is now on private display in a back yard in Vancouver. If it was on public display, it would likely be problematic. 

Sources:

   Here is an 'official' account and more photos: "The Embrace" With Hank Willis Thomas," MASS

   "Martin Luther King Jr. Statue in Boston Draws Online Mockery, Disdain: The statue was inspired by a photograph of King and his wife, Coretta, embracing after he learned that he won the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize," Travis M. Andrews, Washington Post, Jan. 15, 2023.

   "I Wanted to Love the New Boston MLK Statue. But It's Just Awkward: Hank Willis Thomas's Tribute to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King Has Polarized Opinion Everywhere," Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, Jan. 17, 2023.

Post Script:
    You are likely puzzled about the butter statues. There are two posts: "Butter" and "The Land of Cockaigne."