Transforming History: Confederate Statues Reimagined as Contemporary Art

Mon Oct 20 2025 13:02:43 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Melted-down Confederate statues, previously symbols of division and racism, are now showcased as art pieces in Los Angeles, sparking conversations about America's past and its interpretation.

A new exhibit at a Los Angeles museum features sculptures made from melted-down Confederate statues, including a notable piece of General Robert E. Lee. The exhibit aims to reframe historical narratives surrounding these figures and their association with white supremacy. The artistry reflects a transformation from divisive symbols to contemporary interpretations, challenging the traditional monuments' narratives.

A massive monument of General Robert E Lee that once sparked riots in the Virginia city of Charlottesville is now a pile of melted-down bronze, artfully displayed in a Los Angeles museum.

Next to the sculpture are barrels of toxic 'slag' leftover from the melting process.

Around the corner, there is a massive, graffitied equestrian statue of Lee and Thomas Stonewall Jackson – the two most famous Confederate generals in the US Civil War.

They fought for slavery, says curator Hamza Walker, who has been working for eight years to acquire and borrow the massive monuments amid lawsuits and the logistical challenges of moving tens of thousands of pounds of bronze and granite to Los Angeles.

Coming at a time when President Donald Trump is ordering statues and paintings of Confederate generals to be reinstalled, the warring narratives of American history are at the heart of 'Monuments,' which opens on 23 October at the Brick and at the Geffen Contemporary at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

The exhibit features 18 decommissioned Confederate monuments displayed alongside pieces of contemporary art. Notably, the massive, graffitied statue of Lee and Jackson stands next to a giant replica sculpture of the General Lee car from the iconic TV show, The Dukes of Hazzard.

The centerpiece of the show is 'Unmanned Drone' – a completely reconstructed sculpture of Stonewall Jackson by artist Kara Walker, who transformed the horse and its rider heading into battle into a headless, zombie-like creature, signifying the history's haunting legacy.

Most of the monuments on display will be returned to the cities and towns they've been borrowed from when the show closes in May, but Kara Walker's sculpture will seek a new home. This transformation signifies a purifying step away from the toxic narratives these statues represent.

Activist Jalane Schmidt, who campaigned for the removal of Lee’s statue, emphasizes that these past representations create a harmful view of history. She hopes this exhibit helps reshape the dialogue around American history and its symbols.