More often than not he stands alone. In our nation’s capital, his arms are crossed. In Springfield, Illinois, he carries his jacket over his shoulder. Usually, he’s made of stone, but on Auburn Avenue in Atlanta, he looks as if he was cut from a sheet of metal. You’d expect to find him in Atlanta, Birmingham or Selma, but what about Pueblo, Colorado, or Bosnia?
Martin Luther King Jr., or his likeness can be found in many places in the U.S. Artists have interpreted him in many ways, and more than once the result has left a few people wondering who they are looking at. Take a good look at that statue in Pueblo, for instance. Sometimes he’s not alone, in Allentown, Pennsylvania , his wife Coretta holds him by the arm. In Denver, Dr. King stands above four other historic figures in a very traditional kind of sculpture. Sometimes the statue is just head and shoulders or a bust.
In England, at Westminster Abbey, Dr. King’s statue of is one ten depictions of twentieth century martyrs. He’s not the only victim of a bullet depicted there. The statue in Tuzla, Bosnia was a gift from the U.S. to a country that was sorely in need of some nonviolence.
Is the statue on the mall in Washington too large? Is he too short in Pueblo? What about the statue in Charlotte, is it really the "world's worst Martin Luther King statue"? Not all of us can be artists, but everyone’s a critic. Whether you agree or not remember, these likenesses are meant to be an honor. Take a look, be fair and be respectful of our gallery of Martin Luther King Jr. statues.
