Richmond's Confederate monuments head to LA for national art exhibition

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Richmond's Confederate monuments head to LA for national art exhibition

'These statues are coming back to Richmond. These are all loans, and we're making sure that they're incredibly well cared for.'

Why these Confederate monuments from Richmond are headed to California

By: Maggi Marshall
Posted 5:47 PM, Aug 07, 2025 and last updated 10:45 AM, Aug 08, 2025

RICHMOND, Va. — What happens next to Richmond’s removed Confederate monuments has long been a topic of debate. Now, some of those statues are heading west to become part of a national temporary art exhibition that reimagines their place in history.

The Valentine and the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia will be sending several of Richmond’s Confederate artifacts, that includes:

• Vindicatrix sculpture and granite base from the Jefferson Davis Monument (1907)
• Matthew Fontaine Maury sculpture and globe, both from the Matthew Fontaine Maury Monument (1929)
• Assorted granite slabs from various Confederate monument bases

“It’s really a way to recontextualize the monuments to pull out what the American story is in a very different way,” said Shakia Gullette Warren, Executive Director of the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia.

More than 15 monuments from across the U.S. will be featured, including some of Richmond’s most prominent Confederate symbols, which were taken down during the summer of 2020. Since then, museums have collaborated with community leaders and historians to ensure responsible stewardship of the statues after the city transferred ownership.

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