Hank Willis Thomas Unveils 'The Embrace' Sculpture in Boston Common
On January 16, 2023, which is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Boston introduced 'The Embrace,' a bronze sculpture crafted by Hank Willis Thomas located in Boston Common. This impressive artwork measures 12 meters in width, 6 meters in height, and weighs 17 tons, capturing the moment of embrace between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King following his Nobel Peace Prize victory in 1964. Chosen in 2019 from a pool of 126 submissions by Embrace Boston, it was developed in collaboration with MASS Design Group using over 600 bronze pieces. The total expenditure exceeded $10 million, with much of the work occurring during the pandemic. At the event, Yolanda, King's granddaughter, remarked that it felt 'almost like love at 360 degrees.' In 2023, King would have celebrated his 94th birthday; Coretta remained a prominent civil rights advocate after his assassination in 1968.
Key facts
- Sculpture 'The Embrace' by Hank Willis Thomas unveiled in Boston Common on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 16, 2023.
- Artwork is 12 meters wide, 6 meters tall, and weighs 17 tons.
- Depicts the embrace of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King after his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize win.
- Based on a photograph from the Bettmann Archive of Getty.
- Selected in 2019 from 126 proposals by Embrace Boston.
- Created in partnership with MASS Design Group, which designed the 1965 Freedom Plaza.
- Fabricated from over 600 cast bronze pieces from a 3D-printed model, transported from Washington state.
- Bronze plaques at the base list 69 local civil rights leaders.
- King's granddaughter Yolanda spoke at the unveiling.
- Project cost over $10 million.
- King and Coretta met as students in Boston in 1952.
- King spoke at Boston Common in 1965 after leading 22,000 activists in a march from Roxbury.
Entities
Artists
- Hank Willis Thomas
Institutions
- Embrace Boston
- MASS Design Group
- Bettmann Archive
- Getty
Locations
- Boston
- Massachusetts
- Boston Common
- United States
- Washington state
- Roxbury