Bust of George Floyd
Union Square, 2021
Map
ArtistChris Carnabuci
Year2021 (2021)
MediumWood
SubjectGeorge Floyd
Dimensions1.8 m (6 ft)
LocationManhattan, New York, U.S.
Coordinates40°38′00″N 73°56′52″W / 40.6333°N 73.9479°W / 40.6333; -73.9479

The bust of George Floyd is a sculpture of George Floyd (1973–2020), an African-American man who was murdered by a police officer during his arrest in Minneapolis. Initially situated in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, it is currently displayed in Union Square, Manhattan.[1][2]

The sculpture sits on a marble base, with the 6-foot (1.8 m) bust being made of layers of CNC-cut okoumé plywood.[3] It was created by artist Chris Carnabuci and unveiled by Floyd's brother Terrence, as part of the 2021 Juneteenth federal holiday, saying "My brother was the sacrifice, so I need y'all to continue to pay attention and keep my big brother's name ringing in the ears of everyone."[1] It was moved to Manhattan on 1 October 2021 and displayed next to busts of Breonna Taylor and John Lewis. Each bust is part of the See in Justice public art exhibition.[4]

Vandalism

The sculpture was vandalized days after it was unveiled with "PATRIOTFRONT.US", the website of Patriot Front, spray painted on the base of the sculpture.[2][5] According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), Patriot Front is a white nationalist hate group.[2] On June 25, 2021, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) stated that they were investigating the incident as a hate crime.[2][6]

Two days after it was moved to Union Square, the bust was vandalized with grey paint.[7][4]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Hauck, Grace (June 19, 2021). "'Larger than life' George Floyd statues unveiled to mark Juneteenth in US cities". USA Today. Archived from the original on June 20, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Morales, Mark; Watts, Lila (June 25, 2021). "NYPD investigating vandalism of the George Floyd statue in Brooklyn as a hate crime". CNN. Archived from the original on June 25, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  3. ^ "Home". Confront Art. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Angeleti, Gabriella (October 4, 2021). "Statue of George Floyd in Union Square vandalised for second time". The Arts Newspaper. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  5. ^ de Blasio, Bill [@NYCMayor] (June 24, 2021). "Last night a far-right extremist group vandalized a statue of George Floyd in Brooklyn. A racist, loathsome, despicable act of hate. The City Cleanup Corps is repairing the statue right now and a hate crime investigation is underway. We will bring these cowards to justice" (Tweet). Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021 – via Twitter.
  6. ^ Massie, Graeme (June 25, 2021). "George Floyd statue in New York vandalised with name of white supremacist group". The Independent. Archived from the original on July 25, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  7. ^ Peiser, Jayclin (October 4, 2021). "A man threw paint on a sculpture of George Floyd. It's the second time the statue has been vandalized". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
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