The Broken Obelisk
"In 1969, the year following Martin Luther King's death, art patrons John & Dominique de Menil offered to match a $45K federal grant to buy Barnett Newman's ‘Broken Obelisk’ for the city of Houston. In effect, they'd be giving the much-praised sculpture to the city of Houston free of charge. But their offer came with a string attached: The de Menils insisted that the sculpture's base bear a dedication to MLK. For Houston, in 1969, that was a radical proposition...
The de Menils realized that the sculpture worked eerily well as a memorial. The sculpture seems to have started its life as an obelisk, a shape that evokes stately, orderly shows of respect for American history — like, say, the Washington Memorial. But this obelisk was made not of marble, but of rusty steel. The obelisk appears to have been broken off — like King's life. And it looks as though it's been turned upside-down, and is balancing precariously on its point -- which is exactly the way the world felt in 1968.
Through channels, the de Menils were told that city officials would reject a public memorial to King. So the couple offered the city a barbed compromise. They proposed that the sculpture be placed in front of City Hall and that the base instead bear the words ‘Forgive Them, for They Know Not What They Do’...
But city council would have none of it. They turned down the de Menils' proposal and asked that the couple pick another site...
The de Menils then bought ‘Broken Obelisk’ for $90K and announced they'd donate it, along with 14 Mark Rothko paintings, to the Institute of Religion & Human Development in the Texas Medical Center.
To house the art, they bankrolled an octagonal chapel and reflecting pool. Over time, the Institute of Religion evolved into the Rothko Chapel, a Houston landmark known for its Zen-like stillness.
But Broken Obelisk stands as a reminder that justice isn't only a matter of prayer and meditation."
"In 1969, the year following Martin Luther King's death, art patrons John & Dominique de Menil offered to match a $45K federal grant to buy Barnett Newman's ‘Broken Obelisk’ for the city of Houston. In effect, they'd be giving the much-praised sculpture to the city of Houston free of charge. But their offer came with a string attached: The de Menils insisted that the sculpture's base bear a dedication to MLK. For Houston, in 1969, that was a radical proposition...
The de Menils realized that the sculpture worked eerily well as a memorial. The sculpture seems to have started its life as an obelisk, a shape that evokes stately, orderly shows of respect for American history — like, say, the Washington Memorial. But this obelisk was made not of marble, but of rusty steel. The obelisk appears to have been broken off — like King's life. And it looks as though it's been turned upside-down, and is balancing precariously on its point -- which is exactly the way the world felt in 1968.
Through channels, the de Menils were told that city officials would reject a public memorial to King. So the couple offered the city a barbed compromise. They proposed that the sculpture be placed in front of City Hall and that the base instead bear the words ‘Forgive Them, for They Know Not What They Do’...
But city council would have none of it. They turned down the de Menils' proposal and asked that the couple pick another site...
The de Menils then bought ‘Broken Obelisk’ for $90K and announced they'd donate it, along with 14 Mark Rothko paintings, to the Institute of Religion & Human Development in the Texas Medical Center.
To house the art, they bankrolled an octagonal chapel and reflecting pool. Over time, the Institute of Religion evolved into the Rothko Chapel, a Houston landmark known for its Zen-like stillness.
But Broken Obelisk stands as a reminder that justice isn't only a matter of prayer and meditation."
"In 1969, the year following Martin Luther King's death, art patrons John & Dominique de Menil offered to match a $45K federal grant to buy Barnett Newman's ‘Broken Obelisk’ for the city of Houston. In effect, they'd be giving the much-praised sculpture to the city of Houston free of charge. But their offer came with a string attached: The de Menils insisted that the sculpture's base bear a dedication to MLK. For Houston, in 1969, that was a radical proposition...
The de Menils realized that the sculpture worked eerily well as a memorial. The sculpture seems to have started its life as an obelisk, a shape that evokes stately, orderly shows of respect for American history — like, say, the Washington Memorial. But this obelisk was made not of marble, but of rusty steel. The obelisk appears to have been broken off — like King's life. And it looks as though it's been turned upside-down, and is balancing precariously on its point -- which is exactly the way the world felt in 1968.
Through channels, the de Menils were told that city officials would reject a public memorial to King. So the couple offered the city a barbed compromise. They proposed that the sculpture be placed in front of City Hall and that the base instead bear the words ‘Forgive Them, for They Know Not What They Do’...
But city council would have none of it. They turned down the de Menils' proposal and asked that the couple pick another site...
The de Menils then bought ‘Broken Obelisk’ for $90K and announced they'd donate it, along with 14 Mark Rothko paintings, to the Institute of Religion & Human Development in the Texas Medical Center.
To house the art, they bankrolled an octagonal chapel and reflecting pool. Over time, the Institute of Religion evolved into the Rothko Chapel, a Houston landmark known for its Zen-like stillness.
But Broken Obelisk stands as a reminder that justice isn't only a matter of prayer and meditation."