The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts reportedly has asked Chinese sculptor Lei Yixin to rework his controversial statue of Martin Luther King Jr.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said members of the commission have criticized Yixin's 28-foot-tall rendering of the slain civil-rights leader, claiming it recalls a genre of political sculpture that has recently been pulled down in other countries.

Although the panel gets final approval on the monument's design, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Project Foundation hasn't asked Lei to change his sculpture, Lei and Ed Jackson, the foundation's executive architect, told the newspaper. The statue is to be the centerpiece of a privately funded $100 million memorial in Washington.

Jackson admitted two members of the commission expressed concerns about the statue, but he said he and other foundation executives are attempting to make up in our own minds whether or not the suggestions can be accomplished without compromising the integrity of what Lei has already produced.

I wasn't trying to express that King was confrontational but that he was thoughtful, Lei told the Journal-Constitution. I just want to focus on King's ideals.

Lei's design was inspired by a photograph taken by King's official photographer. It shows King with his arms crossed and his lips drawn in concentration.

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