Lynch Fragments

Lynch Fragments is the title of a series of abstract metal sculptures created by American artist Melvin Edwards. The artist began the series in 1963 and has continued it throughout his entire career, aside from two periods in the 1960s and 1970s. The sculptures in the series, numbering around 300, are small, usually wall-based assemblages of metal scraps and objects such as spikes, chains, and scissors, welded together in various combinations.

The title of the series alludes to the practice of lynching in the United States. Edwards, an African-American artist who grew up in both an integrated community in Ohio and a segregated community in Texas, has described the works as metaphors for both the violence inflicted on black people in the U.S., and the power and struggles of African Americans fighting against that violence. Additionally, many of the works explicitly reference African and African-American history, contemporary political events, and notable figures from Edwards's life and studies in their titles.

In interpreting the Lynch Fragments, some critics and art historians have highlighted the possible sociocultural and historical allusions in the underlying materials and titles, while others have argued that the works are examples of formalist abstraction whose meanings are primarily visual rather than political. The pieces in the series are among Edwards's best-known and most widely lauded works.