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Bust of Martin Luther King Jr. by the American artist John Woodrow Wilson

  • Writer: tourdeforcedc
    tourdeforcedc
  • 2 days ago
  • 1 min read


Visual description

A bust of Dr. King from mid torso up, including his upper arms, wearing a suit and tie. Eyes downcast in a contemplative mood.


Background

In 1982, Congress authorized the procurement of a sculpture honoring Dr King, to be placed in the Capitol rotunda amidst other ‘heroes of the nation.” A national competition led to the selection of noted African American sculptor John Wilson of Boston, Massachusetts. The bust was unveiled by Dr King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, their four children,and Dr King’s sister,  on June 16, 1986, on what would have been Dr. King’s 57th birthday.


Prompts for closer looking

  • In what respects is the King bust an outlier in the Rotunda?

  • Most of the founding fathers depicted in sculpture and paintings in the Rotunda are looking straight ahead. Why is Dr King represented with down cast eyes?

  • What is the effect of having Dr King here in the Rotunda surveying the scene here, at the center of American representative democracy?


Learning Resources

Architect of the Capitol entry on the sculpture: https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/martin-luther-king-jr-bust











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