Maquette for Martin Luther King, Jr.

Signed, dated 1985 and numbered 1/10
Bronze
Height: 18 inches

Note:
This bronze is the maquette for the 36-inch sculpture of Martin Luther King Jr. that stands in the Capitol Rotunda, Washington D.C.. The bust was unveiled on January 16, 1986 by Dr. King’s widow Coretta, their four children and his sister Christine King Farris. Although the artist’s intention was to create an edition of 10, this is the only known bronze cast of the 18” maquette made during his lifetime. Wilson made two hydrocal (similar to Plaster of Paris) casts that he gave to his cardiac doctors in gratitude for the care he received.

Provenance:
Estate of the artist

Exhibited:
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, The Artists Foundation Fellowship Exhibition, July 10 – August 22, 1986
Boston University Art Gallery, Boston, The Human Presence in Sculpture: A Boston University Tradition, October 24 – December 12, 1986
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts Masters: Afro-American Artists / Celebrating 350 Years of Black Presence in Massachusetts, January 16 - March 6, 1988
Wessell Library, Tufts University, Medford, John Wilson, January 10 – February 28, 1990
National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis, Tennessee, Reflections of a King, January 3 - March 30, 1993
University Hall Gallery, UMass Boston, Center Street Studio: Translations in Print, March 6 – May 13, 2023
[upcoming] Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Witnessing Humanity: The Art of John Wilson, Boston: February 8 - June 22, 2025, New York: September 20, 2025 - February 8, 2026

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