Stein, Joseph. PORTRAIT HEAD OF MARTIN LUTHER KING. Bronze, c. 1970. 12 inches tall, mounted to a 5" stand upon which it can be rotated. A striking sculptural image of the great civil rights leader. In excellent condition. Joseph Stein was an architect in Waterbury, CT., where he designed several important buildings, including the award winning Silas Bronson Library addition, the Waterbury Club and the American Savings Bank in Waterbury. He had been an officer in command of a black unit during World War II, and thereafter had a strong interest in the Civil Rights movement. He began the portrait head shortly after the murder of King, and worked on it for over a year. Six casts were made, one of which was given to Coretta Scott King by Stein, and is displayed in the Martin Luther King Library. According to an article in the Waterbury American of january 02, 1986, Mrs. King told Joseph Stein that his was the finest portrait of Dr. King that she had seen (an original of the newpaper article accompanies the work). A second cast is in the Bronson Library in Waterbury. The remaining casts were owned by relatives or friends of Stein; the present cast is one of these.
