Vinay Menon: A new sculpture of Martin Luther King Jr.’s arms has critics seeing a different body part

It’s not as if Martin Luther King Jr. needs another public monument.

There are nearly 1,000 streets named after the civil rights leader. There are buildings, bridges, parks and libraries. Beyond North America, there are memorials around the globe, including Sweden, Hungary, Nigeria, Israel, India, the U.K. and South Africa.

It makes sense. More than a half-century after he was assassinated in Memphis, his philosophy, wisdom and rousing clarion calls for equality remain inspirational.

But until now, there was never an MLK monument some consider NSFW.

On Friday, at the Boston Common, Dr. King and wife Coretta Scott King were honoured with a new 20×32-foot bronze sculpture. “The Embrace” was inspired by a black-and-white photo of the couple hugging after he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. The image is an achingly tender shot of triumph shared by a visionary and the woman who had his back. Their love, bond, tireless fight for a better world, it’s all conveyed by his impish grin and her sweetly closed eyes.

Two bodies, four arms, one moment of joy.

This was the challenge facing artist Hank Willis Thomas. How does he convert that iconic 2D photograph into a 3D, 19-ton permanent fixture? As per his website: “By highlighting the act of embrace, this sculpture shifts the emphasis from a singular hero worship to collective action, imploring those curious enough to investigate closer.”

And that’s where the trouble starts.

This sculpture, celebrating the beloved couple, includes neither of their heads.

The anatomical segregation seems unwise. There’s a reason we don’t have a statue of Sir John A. Macdonald’s shins. You won’t find a Kim Kardashian Derriere at Madame Tussauds. There is no ghastlier monument than “A Conversation with Oscar Wilde” in London. But even that one has the author’s head emerging from the granite sarcophagus like a yappy gargoyle eager to discuss “The Picture of Dorian Gray.”

We remember famous people by their faces, not their elbows or sternums.

So, when some critics closer investigated the MLK monument, their eyes played tricks on them. Was that a giant phallus? A crude depiction of a sex act? A reticulated python with 20 human fingers? A decapitated The Rock, wearing a pearl bracelet, curling a juicy bratwurst the size of a school bus?

One of the fiercest critics was Seneca Scott, Coretta’s cousin. In an essay for Compact magazine this weekend, he described “The Embrace” as looking like a “pair of hands hugging a beefy penis.” Yikes. As he wrote: “Ten million dollars were wasted to create a masturbatory metal homage to my legendary family members — one of the all-time greatest American families.” (Emphasis his.)

He was not alone in slamming the new monument.

The problem might be literal perspective. Art, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder and sculpture at this scale requires an optimal distance and angle to be properly appreciated — or even accurately deciphered.

In one overhead shot, it’s clear you are looking at four arms intertwined. In another, yes, I can see why Seneca Scott is going with “big bronze penis statue.” In another, my eyes squinted at what appeared to be magical hands cradling a huge loaf of rye pumpernickel that was possibly shot to earth by extraterrestrials.

Mr. Scott’s Freudian art criticism may be unfair.

But he has a point about the cost of this new monument.

No wonder there are no heads. The four arms averaged out to $2.5 million each? Was this sculpted from bronze or bitcoin? Dr. King wasn’t just in mortal combat with the explicit racism of rampant N-words and firehoses during his short 39 years. He was also aware of institutional biases. And in a world with so many MLK monuments, couldn’t this $10 million have gone to housing, food, education, community building?

The good reverend had a dream. It did not include any big bronze penis statues.

I do feel sorry for Hank Willis Thomas. Conceptual art is riskier than explosive ordnance disposal. One bad creative choice and – boom! – your masterpiece can blow up in your face as the world points and laughs.

Thomas wanted to create a symbolic representation of “unity” and “love” to transcend “singular hero worship.” But Dr. King was singularly heroic. He is worthy of the worship. I was born after he died. But I’m not sure my life would be possible without what he did in his. Similarly, despite her grief, Coretta Scott King kept fighting for a better world. She clutched the baton and, eyes open, sprinted through her tears.

They cherished equality as much as they cherished one another.

On Tuesday morning, Thomas was interviewed on CNN. He seemed taken aback by the blowback. Anchor Don Lemon, perhaps sensing tension, segued into a spiel about provocative art. Maybe the controversy was “worth it” for the resulting “discussion”?

Alas, sometimes a discussion is just a distraction.

“The Embrace” has taken the brunt of so many crotch jokes this week, Pee-Wee Herman might have PTSD. I suspect the artwork will age better than Seneca Scott predicts. But going with just four arms does seem as questionable as erecting a monument to Scooby-Doo that is nothing but tail.

Sometimes a lovely conceptual idea can mask a fatal flaw in execution.

Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King were two souls for the ages.

Any sculpture of this magnificent couple should include their heads and hearts.

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