A commissioned piece of art honoring labor leader Samuel Gompers faced harsh criticism 43 years ago, even before the “hideous” sculpture was officially unveiled.
The statue was dedicated on Labor Day 1982 in downtown San Antonio. The controversy started weeks earlier, as the full scope of the artwork became more widely known.
The 15-foot statue of Gompers, created by artist Betty Jean Alden, depicted the labor union advocate speaking to a group of workers and their children. Gompers, with one hand raised and the other holding a rolled-up notebook, appeared to be standing on a soapbox. Critics said the statue’s proportions made those gathered around him appear much smaller than Gompers, whose head and hands looked unusually large compared to his shoulders and chest…