Artist Kehinde Wiley's sculpture "Rumors of War" will debut in September in Times Square in New York City. (Photo courtesy Virginia Museum of Fine Arts)
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and Times Square Arts recently announced that visual artist Kehinde Wiley will unveil his first monumental public sculpture, “Rumors of War,” in Times Square in New York City on Sept. 27. A bronze sculpture mounted on a stone pedestal, Wiley’s largest work to date portrays a young African-American sitting on a horse. The sculpture will be permanently installed on Arthur Ashe Boulevard at the entrance to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in December.
According to the release, “Rumors of War” was inspired by a 2016 visit to Monument Avenue. In Richmond for the opening of his “Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic” exhibit at the VMFA, the artist noticed the monument of Confederate Army general J.E.B. Stuart on the historic avenue. Not far from that location, the museum will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony for “Rumors of War” in December.
Wiley, portrait artist of former President Barack Obama, is best known for his works that upend European and American portraiture traditions with depictions of contemporary African-Americans.
"The installation of 'Rumors of War' at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts later this year will be a historic moment for our museum and for the city of Richmond,” VMFA Director Alex Nyerges says in the release. “We hope that the sculpture will encourage public engagement and civic discussion about who is memorialized in our nation and the significance of monuments in the context of American history.”
