Fist Of Joe Louis
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The ''Monument to Joe Louis'', known also as ''The Fist'', is a memorial dedicated to boxer
Joe Louis Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1934 to 1951. Nicknamed "the Brown Bomber", Louis is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential boxers of all time. He r ...
located at the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and Woodward Avenue in
Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
, near
Hart Plaza 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'' ...
.


History

Dedicated on October 16, 1986, the sculpture, commissioned by ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...
'' from the Mexican-American sculptor Robert Graham (1938–2008), and poured by the legendary bronze artist, Rolf Kriken, is a arm with a fisted hand suspended by a pyramidal framework. The sculpture weighs 5000 pounds and the total weight including the framework is 8000 pounds. 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 Jim Crow laws were U.S. state, state and local laws introduced in the Southern United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that enforced Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, "Jim Crow (character), Ji ...
, the fist was symbolically intended as a statement against racism. Graham referred to the sculpture as a "battering ram". It is claimed to be an historical metaphor, even down to its placement (pointing toward Canada). 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". Graham responded that the piece was "working" if it aroused passion. 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 Huntington Place (formerly known as Cobo Hall, Cobo Center, and briefly TCF Center) is a convention center in Downtown Detroit, owned by the Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority (DRCFA) and operated by ASM Global. Located at 1 Washing ...
convention center.


In popular culture

In 2013, Detroit-based artist Jerry Vile placed a 4-ft. tall can of
Crisco Crisco is an American brand of shortening that is produced by B%26G Foods. Introduced in June 1911 by Procter & Gamble, it was the first shortening to be made entirely of vegetable oil, originally cottonseed oil. Additional products marketed ...
in front of the monument with a statement indicating it was for "helping to ease the pain of Detroit's bankruptcy." Many interpreted the can as a reference to
fisting Fisting—also known as fist fucking (FF) and handballing—is a sexual activity that involves inserting one or more hands into the rectum (anal fisting) or the vagina (vaginal fisting). Fisting may be performed on oneself (self-fisting) or perf ...
, a sex act in which Crisco is sometimes used as lubricant.


References

{{reflist Tourist attractions in Detroit 1986 sculptures Bronze sculptures in Michigan Sculptures of African Americans 1986 establishments in Michigan Vandalized works of art in Michigan Cultural depictions of Joe Louis Fisting subculture