Artist Austen Brantley. Photo: Courtesy of the city of Detroit
Local figurative sculptorAusten Brantley was chosen to create artwork of Joe Louis for the city's new greenway that is named after the iconic boxer.
The big picture: Brantley, who is influenced by African, classical and Harlem Renaissance art styles, was chosen by a panel of judges to create a statue reflecting Louis' accomplishments not in the boxing ring, but in golf, according to a news release.
It will be displayed in August somewhere along the nearly 30-mile biking and walking pathway that is under construction around Detroit, the Joe Louis Greenway.
Plus, Brantley sculpted a Tuskegee Airman who was a World War II war prisoner, Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson, for Rouge Park.
The 600-pound statue was stolen in October, sawed off above the feet, and then found by police, according to the AP.
Between the lines: Louis made strides desegregating golf in America and was the first Black athlete in a PGA-sanctioned tournament, per the release.
He started a major golf tournament for Black players, the Joe Louis Open, which ran in Detroit from 1941 to 1951.
