Xinhua News Agency today reported that a Chinese sculptor had been given a major public commission by an American agency to create a realistic sculpture of Dr Martin Luther King. Dr King would be a natural choice for communities seeking a public memorial, and there are several realistic sculptures in cities around the world: in Westminster Abbey, London, UK (1998), Cleveland, OH (2003), Kalamazoo, MI (1989), and Austin, TX (1999) among others. Seattle Washington has a more abstract monument by Robert Kelley.

In 1996 the Bill Clinton signed a bill to create a national memorial in Washington, DC, to honor Dr King. Since that time a foundation has commissioned a design and is raising the estimated US$ 60 million needed to fund the monument's creation and ongoing maintenance. According to the foundation's website, the final design will include elements of a realistic representation of Dr King:

«Added to these powerful sensory experiences will be a sculptural representation of Dr. King himself. This is not conceived of as a pure figurative depiction of his physical being, separate and apart from other elements, but rather would give another dimension and layer of meaning to the experience of the memorial as a whole. Dr. King will appear as an integral part of the "Stone of Hope", as if he embodies the stone itself. He will be positioned on the side of the stone facing the Jefferson Memorial and will be gradually revealed as part of the procession towards the Tidal Basin.»

It is possible that the Chinese artist Lei Yixin has been commissioned by this foundation, but so far they have made no announcement of the commission of the realistic sculpture, which is just one element in the overall monument's design.

Here's the Xinhua story:

«CHANGSHA, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese sculptor from central China's Hunan Province has been chosen to sculpt a stone statue of Martin Luther King, which will be unveiled in the Martin Luther King Square in Washington in 2008.

Lei Yixin, the 53-year-old director of the Hunan Sculpture Institute, received the contract from the Sculpture Committee of the Martin Luther Square (SCMLS) on Sunday, as well as video, photographs and reading materials of the American hero.

"This is a recognition of Chinese sculptors," said the excited Lei, who has worked in sculpting for over 20 years.

The SCMLS approached Lei in July after he had made a 2.3-meter-tall sculpture at the International Stone Sculpture Conference.

"To me, the image of Martin Luther King is a black man with broad shoulders and sparkling eyes full of vigor. He symbolized courage in pursuit of equality," he said.

Lei has won several prizes in China and his works are on display in Changsha Square.»

I can't find any other hints of whether this commission really is for the US national memorial, or for a smaller site in Washington DC or indeed somewhere in Washington state. If anyone can help clarify, it would be most appreciated.

This story reminded me of one of my first public art posts, way back in 2003, about the controversy around a sculpture of Dr King in Rocky Mount, NC, USA. Many members of the public in Rocky Mount were unhappy with the likeness of the new piece, so one businessman offered to commission a new work in China, at a much cheaper price than the first one had been commissioned. The story was reported by the Guardian.

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# posted @ 1:02 AM 3 comments | add a comment

That is true,he is talking about the same MLK project you mentioned above,you can find more details in these link..but it is in Chinese.
http://www.hn.xinhuanet.com/2006-08/16/content_7798099.htm
By  Anonymous, at 5:35 PM  

This is Irony at it’s height. An artist from a communist nation will create the monument one of the greatest democratic and human rights heroes. Speaking through an interpreter, Lei said “I spent a whole lot of time gathering material about Dr. King,” Lei said. “I tried to get the feel of what was inside his mind.” -Reuters. This artist doesn’t even speak English and based on his own words didn’t know anything about Martin Luther King. This is simply tragic and Ironic.
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By  nero, at 9:51 AM  

Nero, Dr King belongs to the world. I wouldn't tell an artist he doesn't have the right to sculpt Dr King because he "doesn't even speak English", or comes from a "communist" country. In fact, I think his slight touch of social realist style works well. See my later posting here
By  Katong, at 2:26 PM