Statue of black man defies Confederate monuments

(11 Dec 2019) A massive bronze sculpture of a young black man in a hoodie astride a horse was permanently installed Tuesday in Virginia's capital city, not far from one of the country's most prominent displays of Confederate monuments.

At least 1,000 people crowded the lawn of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts as "Rumors of War" was unveiled in its new home.

The piece, the first public sculpture by prominent artist Kehinde Wiley and Wiley's largest work to date, was previously on display in Times Square.

"Rumors of War" is Wiley's response to the Confederate monuments that pepper the United States and the South in particular.

"This is a story about America 2.0," he said Tuesday.

Wiley is well known for his regal portraits of black Americans, including one of former President Barack Obama that's displayed at the National Portrait Gallery.

He said he was inspired to create "Rumors of War" after seeing a massive equestrian monument honoring Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart during a visit to Richmond in 2016.

The Stuart monument is one of five giant Confederate statues that dot Monument Avenue, a prestigious residential street and National Historic Landmark district.

Both the Stuart statue and "Rumors of War" feature regal, muscular horses in virtually the same pose, with one front leg lifted.

Mounted on a large stone pedestal, Wiley's sculpture is just blocks away from Monument Avenue.

It is prominently displayed along the city's historic Arthur Ashe Boulevard, a thoroughfare renamed in honor of the black tennis great earlier this year.

It sits next to the headquarters of the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

Tuesday's installation came amid an ongoing debate in Richmond about what do with its Confederate monuments and how its history as the capital of the Confederacy and an epicenter of the international slave trade should be told.

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