Ed Love’s impact knows no bounds. His often controversial, always poignant sculptures and works on paper evoke a necessity for change. Using steel and West African iconography, his work stands for strength through resistance. From iconic exhibitions at the Corcoran, to his Guggenheim Fellowship and his professorship at Howard University’s school of Art, Love influenced countless generations of young artists.

In the 1970s and 80s, commissioned by the city of DC, Ed Love placed his sculptures in parks throughout Washington. A chrome sculpture of a man being lynched above the federal courthouse in Washington DC until newspaper articles and protesters had it removed.

He and other like-minded sculptors will be the focus of an exhibition titled “LA Blacksmith” at the California African American Museum opening in September. His work has been exhibited at The Corcoran Gallery of Art, The Studio Museum in Harlem, The High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Dallas Museum of Art, and the Afro-American Museum of Art in Philadelphia.