Monument to Joe Louis, Bronze memorial sculpture at Jefferson Avenue, Detroit, United States
The Monument to Joe Louis is a bronze sculpture in Detroit showing a clenched fist suspended by steel cables within a pyramidal steel frame. The work stands at a busy intersection near the riverfront and measures roughly 24 feet (7 meters) in both height and length.
The city commissioned sculptor Robert Graham in the 1980s to design a memorial that was unveiled in 1986. The choice of the motif was meant to recall the boxer's importance to the city and the nation.
The work honors a boxer whose career in the 1930s and 1940s gave many people a sense of justice and dignity during difficult times. Visitors often stop here to reflect on how sports can shape community identity and pride.
The sculpture stands at the corner of Jefferson and Woodward Avenue, right next to the entrance to Hart Plaza. Visitors can view and photograph the work from different angles as it sits in an open plaza setting.
The work weighs roughly 8,000 pounds (3,600 kilograms) and was cast in several pieces before being assembled at its current location. In 2013, an artist temporarily placed an oversized can beneath the fist to comment on the city's financial troubles.
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