Pulitzer-winning art critic Jerry Saltz did not hold back while blasting the infamous Dwyane Wade statue outside the home of the Heat in Miami.
In late October, the eight-foot bust of the NBA legend was unveiled outside Kaseya Center. However, fans and critics quickly torched the piece – claiming it looked nothing like the three-time champion it was meant to honor.
Speaking on Pablo Torre Finds Out, the New York Magazine critic erupted on how poorly executed the sculpture was, despite designer Omri Armany claiming that Wade gave his thumbs up before the reveal.
‘That is an absolute sh*t work of art,’ Saltz said. ‘It looks like a little mini statue on an idiotic store-bought trophy. There’s nothing to it other than the pose.’
‘He looks like The Rock, he looks white — which is fine with me — but it has no character and has no ambiance. It has no internal scale. It has no feel for its material,’ he added.
Art critic Jerry Saltz torched the Dwyane Wade statue outside the Kaseya Center in Miami
‘They found a photograph, scanned it, most likely or some s***, and reproduced it,’ Saltz continued. ‘It’s crap. How much did they pay for it, $100? 200? It’s dogs***.’
Amid the backlash on the sculpture, Armany and fellow sculptor Oscar Leon stood their ground on their piece.
‘To anybody who’s even slightly critical, come to Miami,’ Leon said on NBC News. ‘Take a look at it in person and you’ll be very pleasantly surprised.’
‘[Wade] approved it on the site, he approved it in the photos, and he approved himself,’ Armany added. ‘And if somebody else doesn’t approve, he can go to Dwyane himself.’
Nonetheless, Saltz did not back down on his criticism, claiming the statue looked like ‘art by committee.’ He also accused Leon and Armany of scamming the Miami Heat.
‘They’re not even artists, those two guys,’ Saltz insisted. ‘They’re entrepreneurs. They’re scammers [but] they don’t know it.’
Wade posses next to his statue after October’s 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 statues that’s been created because of what it represents for us and for me,’ Wade told the Miami Herald despite the criticism.
The Wade statue depicts his iconic ‘this is my house’ gesture after a double-overtime victory over the Bulls in the 2008-2009 regular season. Armany shared the challenges of Wade’s celebration, compared to other works that portrayed action shots.
‘That’s what makes things a little bit harder because, at the end of the day, you’re still looking at hundreds of hundreds of pounds of bronze that has to be standing safely for many years to come,’ the sculptor said.
Aside from his Wade piece, Armany was responsible for the Michael Jordan statue in Chicago and several sculptures outside Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
His creative hand brushed over the statues of Shaquille O’Neal, Magic Johnson, and the Kings’ 50th Anniversary. A second Kobe Bryant statue, depicting the late Lakers legend sitting courtside with his late daughter Gigi, was unveiled in August.