Trump Regilds DC Statues Mar-a-Lago Style
The sprucing up of the "Arts of War" and "Arts of Peace" equestrian statues cost the public $5 million in a no-bid contract.
The scaffolding is coming down around two newly regilded bronze equestrian sculptures in Washington, DC, according to a recent post from President Donald Trump on Truth Social.
On July 27, the president shared photos of the process alongside the message, "Taking down the scaffolding around the regilded Arts of War sculptures!"
Amid Trump's ongoing makeover of dozens of monuments, statues, and landmarks across the capital city, the Arts of War statues are just two of the four horse statues slated for a revamp, with the accompanying pair of Arts of Peace statues set to receive the same treatment.
In late May, NOTUS reported that the National Park Service (NPS) granted a $5.1 million no-bid contract for the project to the Gilders' Studio in Maryland. However, in recent documents obtained by The New York Times, the NPS estimated that repairs would only cost around $2.4 million, around half of the amount allotted to the studio. According to the Times, the Department of the Interior, which oversees the NPS, declined their requests to comment on the alleged discrepancy.
Commissioned in 1929 and erected in 1951 on Lincoln Memorial Circle, Leo Friedlander's Arts of War sculptures (individually titled "Valor" and "Sacrifice") and James Earle Fraser's Arts of Peace sculptures ("Music and Harvest" and "Aspiration and Literature") have long been subject to concerns about their upkeep and preservation. Having not been restored since the 1970s, the sculptures had dulled over time and gradually began revealing patches of their bronze base. In addition to regilding the statues, the Gilders' Studio is also restoring the granite plinths they rest upon.
While the four statues were originally gilded, they bear the resemblance of other, previously non-gilded or even nonexistent structures that have surfaced with a golden sheen during Trump's tenure. From the Oval Office to the proposed state ballroom, which is projected to cost $600 million, the president is at the helm of several construction projects with Mar-a-Lago flourishes and hefty price tags.
The Gilders' Studio has not yet replied to Hyperallergic's request for comment.
