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Photos: Rumors of War Unveiling Ceremony

The rains stopped as hundreds gathered on Arthur Ashe Boulevard in front of the VMFA to welcome Richmond’s newest statue Rumors of War by Kehinde Wiley.

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7 years ago

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Virginia Governor Ralph Northam

“It’s taken more than 100 years, but the rest of Richmond residents finally have a monument of a man on a horse that looks like them.” – Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney

“There is something moving in the culture. There’s something changing in these winds. I think we’re all fed up with a lot of things.” – Kehinde Wiley

Art has always been about what we as a people say yes to, and these things change. Culture evolves. – Artist Kehinde Wiley

The moment the unveiling became a veil. As they attempted to unveil the statue part of the tarp was pierced by the riders hair.

The first attempt to fix the issue involved poking it with a stick.

Richmond Public Schools All City Marching Band

Richmond firefighter John Lukhard (reported by RTD) came to the rescue and removed the last bit of the tarp.

VMFA on Rumors of War:

As a direct response to the Confederate statues that line Monument Avenue in Richmond, Wiley conceived the idea for Rumors of War when he visited the city in 2016 for the opening of Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic at VMFA. Rumors of War takes its inspiration from the statue of Confederate Army General James Ewell Brown “J.E.B.” Stuart created by Frederick Moynihan in 1907. As with the original sculpture, the rider strikes a heroic pose while sitting upon a muscular horse. However, in Wiley’s sculpture, the figure is a young African American dressed in urban streetwear. Proudly mounted on its large stone pedestal, the bronze sculpture commemorates African American youth lost to the social and political battles being waged throughout our nation.

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Richard Hayes is the co-founder of RVAHub. When he isn't rounding up neighborhood news, he's likely watching soccer or chasing down the latest and greatest board game.