During Black Lives Matter demonstrations in 2020, Louisville protestors graffitied an aging statue of King Louis XVI. The Louisville Metro Council budgeted hundreds of thousands to repair it, without consulting the city’s Commission on Public Art.
Commission head Chris Reitz spoke with LPM’s Justin Hicks about why he’s resigning over the issue. This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Chris, I’ve seen photos of the current state of the statue and graffiti on it. BLM is scrawled on the chest and there’s red paint all over the face. Some people have strong feelings about that graffiti and that it added historic or artistic value. What do you think?…