Pulitzer-winning art critic Jerry Saltz didn’t hold back when he blew up the infamous Dwyane Wade statue outside the Heat’s home in Miami.
In late October, the NBA legend’s eight-foot bust was unveiled outside Kaseya Center. However, fans and critics quickly torched the piece, claiming it was nothing like the three-time champion it was meant to honor.
Speaking on Pablo Torre Finds Out, New York Magazine’s critic gushed about how poorly executed the sculpture was, despite designer Omri Armany claiming that Wade gave the thumbs-up before the unveiling.
“That’s an absolute work of art,” Saltz said. “It looks like a little mini statue on a silly store trophy. There is nothing to do but the pose.’
‘He looks like The Rock, he looks white – which is fine with me – but it has no character and no atmosphere. It has no internal shell. It has no feeling for the material,” he added.
Art critic Jerry Saltz set fire to the statue of Dwyane Wade outside the Kaseya Center in Miami
“They found a photo, scanned it, most likely or somehow, and reproduced it,” Saltz continued. ‘It’s nonsense. How much did they pay for it, $100? 200? They’re dogs***.’
Amid the backlash against the sculpture, Armany and fellow sculptor Oscar Leon stood their ground.
“To anyone who is even remotely critical, come to Miami,” Leon told NBC News. ‘Look at it with your own eyes and you will be very pleasantly surprised.’
‘[Wade] approved it on the site, he approved it in the photos and he approved it himself,” Armany added. “And if anyone else doesn’t agree, they can go to Dwyane themselves.”
Nevertheless, Saltz did not address his criticism, claiming that the image looked like “art by committee.” He also accused Leon and Armany of defrauding the Miami Heat.
“They’re not even artists, those two guys,” Saltz insisted. ‘They are entrepreneurs. They are scammers [but] they don’t know.’
Wade owns next to his statue after the October unveiling ceremony outside Kaseya Center
Wade’s legendary NBA career was highlighted by his three NBA championships in Miami
“Personally I’m biased, I think it’s one of the best images ever made because of what it represents to us and to me,” Wade told the Miami Herald despite the criticism.
The Wade statue shows his iconic “this is my house” gesture after a double-overtime win over the Bulls in the 2008-09 regular season. Armany shared the challenges of Wade’s celebration, compared to other works with action shots.
“That makes things a little more difficult because at the end of the day you’re still looking at hundreds of hundreds of pounds of bronze that have to sit safely for many years to come,” the sculptor said.
In addition to his Wade piece, Armany was responsible for the Michael Jordan statue in Chicago and several sculptures outside the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
His creative hand swept over images of Shaquille O’Neal, Magic Johnson and the Kings’ 50th anniversary. A second statue of Kobe Bryant, depicting the late Lakers legend sitting courtside with his late daughter Gigi, was unveiled in August.