French artist salutes US civil rights struggle with mural

WASHINGTON (AFP) - French photographer JR, who specialises in giant installations in public places, celebrated the US civil rights movement on Thursday with his first installation in Washington.

He took over an unused building a block off U Street in the United States (US) capital to create a mural based on an iconic image by late African American photographer Ernest Withers of the landmark 1968 sanitation workers' strike in Memphis, Tennessee.

U Street is historically the heart of Washington's large black community, although the neighbourhood is becoming more white and affluent amid an influx of young professionals from other parts of the US.

On his website, JR said the mural was part of his "unframed project" in which he presents archive images in new contexts.