OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
10:19 AM – Saturday, June 13, 2026
President Donald Trump shared progress photos of his next beautification project in Washington, D.C.: The re-gilding of The Arts of War sculptures near the Lincoln Memorial.
On Truth Social on Friday, Trump wrote that the work on the “massive” statues “rapidly continues,” including images of people working on a giant golden horse’s head, which he said were taken on Thursday.
“The Gilders’ Studio has flown in Gilders from around the Country to perform this work!” he exclaimed, noting that the project will be completed by July 3rd, in time for the 250th anniversary of American independence.
In April, the National Park Service contracted The Gilders’ Studio, a Maryland-based company, to repair the four bronze statues for $5 million. Overseen by the Department of the Interior, they are to be covered in a thick layer of 23.75-karat gold leaf, according to NOTUS.
The Statues of the Arts of War flank the east end of Arlington Memorial Bridge and the Statues of the Arts of Peace are featured at the terminus of Parkway Drive of the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway. Erected by American sculptor Leo Friedlander in 1951, they each include a bronze casting of a horse and human figures atop a granite pedestal.
The Arts of War are made of two elements, Valor and Sacrifice.
The Valor statue depicts a bearded, muscular, nude male, referencing the ancient Roman god of war, Mars, riding horseback. To his left is a semi-nude female with a shield. The Sacrifice statue shows the same figures in different poses, with the male holding a child in his arms and the female turning her face up to him.
The elements of The Arts of Peace are Music and Harvest and Aspiration and Literature.
The Music and Harvest statue consists of a Pegasus — a winged horse — with a nude male holding a sickle and a sheaf of wheat, symbolic of harvest. On the other side of the animal is a semi-nude female holding a harp, symbolic of music. The Aspiration and Literature Statue has one nude male holding an open book, symbolic of literature, and another male draped with a toga and holding a bow, symbolic of aspiration.
Trump noted in his post that the statues are also close to the site of The Triumphal Arch, another one of his construction projects as president.
The Trump administration has an ever-growing list of construction and renovation projects in the nation’s capital as part of an executive order Trump signed last year, “Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful.”
Recently, the Department of the Interior announced the restoration of Columbus Circle at Union Station. Previously covered in leftist graffiti, including a spray-painted “FREE GAZA” message, the Christopher Columbus statue is now clean, and its fountain has flowing water after 19 years out of commission.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news alerts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
What do YOU think? Click here to jump to the comments!
Sponsored Content Below
Be the first to comment