Monument to Joe Louis

Last updated
Monument to Joe Louis
The Fist
Monument to Joe Louis--.jpg
The sculpture in 2019
Monument to Joe Louis
Artist Robert Graham (sculptor)
Year
  • 1986
TypeSculpture
Medium
  • Bronze
Dimensions7.3 m× 3.5 m× 7.3 m(24 ft× 11.5 ft× 24 ft)
Weight
  • 5000 lbs. fist alone
  • 8000 lbs. total including framework
Location Detroit, Michigan, United States
Coordinates 42°19′43″N83°02′40″W / 42.328694°N 83.044544°W / 42.328694; -83.044544
Owner Detroit Institute of Arts
Website https://www.dia.org/art/collection/object/monument-joe-louis-46291

The Monument to Joe Louis, known also as The Fist, [1] is a memorial dedicated to boxer Joe Louis located at the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and Woodward Avenue in Detroit, near Hart Plaza. [2]

Contents

History

Showing title of piece Joe Louis Mon. Detroit 5 75dpi.jpg
Showing title of piece

Dedicated on October 16, 1986, the sculpture, commissioned by Sports Illustrated from the Mexican-American sculptor Robert Graham (1938–2008), and poured by the legendary bronze artist, Rolf Kriken, is a 24-foot-long (7.3 m) arm with a fisted hand suspended by a 24-foot-high (7.3 m) pyramidal framework. [3] [2] The sculpture weighs 5000 pounds and the total weight including the framework is 8000 pounds. [4] [5]

The inscription on the back of the arm reads:

MONUMENT
TO
JOE LOUIS
BY
ROBERT GRAHAM


A GIFT FROM SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
TO THE PEOPLE OF THE CITY OF
DETROIT. THE DETROIT INSTITUTE OF
ARTS AND ITS FOUNDERS SOCIETY
ON THE OCCASION OF THE MUSEUM'S
CENTENNIAL. 1885-1985.

It represents the power of his punch both inside and outside the ring. Because of Louis' efforts to fight Jim Crow laws, the fist was symbolically intended as a statement against racism. [6] Graham referred to the sculpture as a "battering ram". [7] It is claimed to be an historical metaphor, even down to its placement (pointing toward Canada). [8]

The sculpture was vandalized by two white men in 2004, who covered it in white paint and left a sign which read, "Courtesy of Fighting Whities". [7] Graham responded that the piece was "working" if it aroused passion. [7]

The sculpture is one of two monuments in Detroit honoring Joe Louis. The other is a full-size statue of Louis located inside the Huntington Place convention center. [9]

In 2013, Detroit-based artist Jerry Vile placed a 4-ft. tall can of Crisco in front of the monument [10] with a statement indicating it was for "helping to ease the pain of Detroit's bankruptcy." [11] Many interpreted the can as a reference to fisting, [12] a sex act in which Crisco is sometimes used as lubricant. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fisting</span> Sex act

Fisting—also known as fist fucking (FF), handballing, and brachioproctic or brachiovaginal insertion—is a sexual activity that involves inserting one or more hands into the rectum or the vagina. Fisting may be performed on oneself (self-fisting) or performed on one person by another. People who engage in fisting are often called "fisters".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adolph Alexander Weinman</span> American sculptor and architectural sculptor (1870–1952)

Adolph Alexander Weinman was a German-born American sculptor and architectural sculptor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Milles</span> Swedish sculptor (1875–1955)

Carl Milles was a Swedish sculptor. He was married to artist Olga Milles and brother to Ruth Milles and half-brother to the architect Evert Milles. Carl Milles sculpted the Gustaf Vasa statue at the Stockholm Nordic Museum, the Poseidon statue in Gothenburg, the Orpheus group outside the Stockholm Concert Hall, and the Fountain of Faith in Falls Church, Virginia. His home near Stockholm, Millesgården, became his resting place and is now a museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campus Martius Park</span> Park in the United States

Campus Martius Park is a re-established park in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. After the Great Fire of 1805, Campus Martius was the focal point of Judge Augustus Woodward's plans to rebuild the city. It was named for the principal square in Marietta, Ohio, the first capital of the Northwest Territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Graham (sculptor)</span> American sculptor

Robert Graham was a Mexican-born American sculptor based in the state of California in the United States. His monumental bronzes commemorate the human figure, and are featured in public places across America.

Events from the year 1986 in art.

<i>The Spirit of Detroit</i> Sculpture by Marshall Fredericks

The Spirit of Detroit is a monument with a large bronze statue created by Marshall Fredericks and located at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center on Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emanuel Hahn</span> German-Canadian sculptor (1881–1957)

Emanuel Otto Hahn was a German-born Canadian sculptor and coin designer. He taught and later married Elizabeth Wyn Wood. He co-founded and was the first president of the Sculptors' Society of Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip A. Hart Plaza</span> City plaza in Detroit

Philip A. Hart Plaza, in downtown Detroit, is a city plaza along the Detroit River. It is located more or less on the site at which Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac landed in 1701 when he founded Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit, the settlement that became Detroit. In 2011, the Detroit-Wayne County Port Authority opened its new cruise ship passenger terminal and dock at Hart Plaza, adjacent to the Renaissance Center, which receives major cruise ships such as the MS Hamburg and the Yorktown.

<i>Fist Crushing a U.S. Fighter Plane</i>

The Fist Crushing a U.S. Fighter Plane Sculpture is a gold-coloured monument located in Misrata, Libya. It was once located at the Bab al-Azizia compound in the Libyan capital of Tripoli. The sculpture was commissioned by the nation's leader, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi following the 1986 bombing of Libya by United States aircraft. It was built in the shape of an arm and hand squeezing a fighter plane. It may have been designed to symbolize the apparent downing of an F-111 by Libyan anti-air units in the 1986 bombing.

<i>Thompson Elk Fountain</i> Sculpture in Portland, Oregon

Thompson Elk Fountain, also known as the David P. Thompson Fountain, David P. Thompson Monument, Elk Fountain, the Thompson Elk, or simply Elk, was a historic fountain and bronze sculpture by American artist Roland Hinton Perry. The fountain with its statue was donated to the city of Portland, Oregon, United States, in 1900 for display in Downtown Portland's Plaza Blocks. It was owned by the City of Portland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dr. Charles Smith</span>

Dr. Charles Smith is a visual artist, historian, activist and minister who lives and works in Hammond, Louisiana. His sculptural work focuses on African and African American history.

<i>J. E. B. Stuart Monument</i> Monument of J. E. B. Stuart formerly in Richmond, Virginia

The J. E. B. Stuart Monument is a deconstructed monument to Confederate general J. E. B. Stuart at the head of historic Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia, which was dedicated in 1907. The equestrian statue of General Stuart was removed from its pedestal and placed into storage on July 7, 2020 after having stood there for 113 years. The removal was in response to nationally reported events of police brutality and a corresponding emergency declaration in Virginia. The granite pedestal, which stood empty for nineteen months, was finally dismantled in February 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stonewall Jackson Monument</span>

The Stonewall Jackson Monument in Richmond, Virginia, was erected in honor of Thomas Jonathon "Stonewall" Jackson, a Confederate general. The monument was located at the centre of the crossing of Monument Avenue and North Arthur Ashe Boulevard, in Richmond, Virginia. The bronze equestrian statue was unveiled in 1919. Along this avenue were other statues including Robert E. Lee, J. E. B. Stewart, Jefferson Davis, Matthew Maury and more recently Arthur Ashe. Thomas Jackson is best known as one of Robert E. Lee's most trusted commanders throughout the early period of the American Civil War between Southern Confederate states and Northern Union states. He rose to prominence after his vital role in the Confederate victory at the First Battle of Bull Run in July 1861, continuing to command troops until his untimely death on May 10, 1863, after falling fatally ill following the amputation of his wounded arm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Lives Matter street mural (Indianapolis)</span> Mural in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.

The Black Lives Matter street muralin Indianapolis is a large, colorful mural reading "#BLACKLIVESMATTER", with a raised fist, that 18 artists painted across a downtown roadway in August 2020, as part of the George Floyd protests. The mural is located on Indiana Avenue, the historic hub of the city's Black culture, on the same corner as the Madam C. J. Walker Building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of Alexander Macomb</span> Statue in Detroit, Michigan

General Alexander Macomb is a monumental statue in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It was designed by sculptor Adolph Alexander Weinman and was dedicated in 1908 in honor of Alexander Macomb, a Detroit native who had served as the Commanding General of the United States Army for several years in the early 1800s. The monument, which consists of the bronze statue of Macomb standing atop a granite pedestal on a circular concrete platform, was dedicated on September 11, on the anniversary of the Battle of Plattsburgh, a War of 1812 battle that Macomb had participated in. Since the 2010s, the statue has come under criticism due to Macomb's connections to slavery and the mistreatment of Native Americans, with several news sources publishing opinion pieces calling for the statue's removal. During the George Floyd protests in 2020, the monument was vandalized several times.

References

  1. Colby, Joy Hakanson (10 July 2006). "Art 'hospitals' heal history: Conservators battle against time and abuse to fix and preserve precious artwork". Detroit News . p. E.1.
  2. 1 2 "Monument to Joe Louis | Detroit Institute of Arts Museum". dia.org. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
  3. "Memorial to Joe Louis". detroit1701.org. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
  4. Lynch, Jim. "Detroit sculpture of Joe Louis' fist getting overhaul". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
  5. "Joe Louis Memorial – Robert Graham" . Retrieved 2022-07-08.
  6. "Fist of a Champion - Detroit's Monument to Joe Louis". 26 November 2007. Retrieved May 4, 2009.
  7. 1 2 3 Zaslow, Jeffrey (4 March 2004). "In Detroit, a Blow To 'The Fist' Touches A Sensitive Nerve; Controversial Sculpture Is Defaced With Paint; Vandals Deny Racism". Wall Street Journal . p. A.1.
  8. Daily Detroit Staff (July 10, 2015). "The Real Story Behind Detroit's Giant Joe Louis Fist". Daily Detroit. Retrieved May 8, 2017. originally appeared in Detroit Unspun.
  9. Riley, Rochelle (May 8, 2017). "How do we honor Joe Louis? Rename Cobo Center". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  10. "Detroit's massive jar of Crisco up for sale on eBay". Michigan Public Media . 2013-08-08. Retrieved 2024-01-02.
  11. Olshansky, Clara (2013-07-31). "Artist Gives Detroit Crisco, "To Ease the Pain"". Art F City. Retrieved 2024-01-02.
  12. Broderick, Ryan (2013-07-31). "A Local News Station Posted A Fisting Joke On Their Facebook Page". BuzzFeed News . Retrieved 2024-01-25.
  13. Barcelos, Chris A. (2023-05-04). "Adventures in fisting". Sex Education . 23 (3): 279–286. doi:10.1080/14681811.2022.2061441. ISSN   1468-1811.