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Martin Luther King, Jr.

2002
Not on view
Working across mediums and formats, Wilson sought to portray the humanity of his subjects and promote social justice. Here, Wilson depicts the American civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at a more intimate angle than he was often shown in photographs. Wilson directs attention to King’s facial features, in particular, his deep, penetrating eyes. The artist emphasized King’s outline against a spare background, creating a halo effect that contrasts with his humble pose. A horizontal line divides the composition and, working in tandem with the vertical line that runs down the center of his body, produces the form　of a cross, evoking both King’s work as a minister and addressing his assassination. Wilson created numerous works that depicted King, including a bronze bust commissioned for the U.S. Capitol.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Martin Luther King, Jr.
  • Artist: John Wilson (American, Roxbury, Massachusetts 1922–2015 Brookline, Massachusetts)
  • Publisher: Center Street Studio
  • Printer: Center Street Studio
  • Printer: James Stroud (American, born New York, 1958)
  • Date: 2002
  • Medium: Etching and aquatint on chine collé
  • Dimensions: 36 × 30 in. (91.4 × 76.2 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Bertha and Isaac Liberman Foundation Gift, 2022
  • Object Number: 2022.102
  • Rights and Reproduction: Courtesy of the Estate of John Wilson
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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Down by the Riverside, John Wilson American, Illustrated book
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Richard Wright Suite, John Wilson American, Etching with aquatint
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The Death of Mann, from "The Richard Wright Suite", John Wilson American, Etching with aquatint
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