Kehinde Wiley's "Rumors of War." Courtesy of Insight PR St. Louis
At very first glance, the sculpture seems like a thousand others—a monumental bronze rendering of a heroic man astride a horse. But in an instant, the differences become clear: this is no king from days of yore or decorated general rallying his troops to war. This regal rider is a young Black man in a hoodie, torn jeans, and Nikes, his dreadlocks moving in the breeze.
An edition of the sculpture, “Rumors of War” by Kehinde Wiley, is coming to St. Louis, and the site is as much a part of the message as the sneakers and the hair. The piece will reside at the entrance plaza of the new headquarters for DOORWAYS, a nonprofit serving people experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity while living with HIV/AIDS. The new campus, at 1101 North Jefferson Avenue, will open this summer and provides wraparound services, including living space.
“It demystifies what DOORWAYS is to the larger community, and it really respects the people that live there, giving them an offering that is not public housing, by beautifying it with art,” says DOORWAYS President and CEO Opal Jones.
The sculpture, a long-term loan from the Gateway Foundation, is easily viewed by anyone walking or driving around the neighborhood—including students at the Carr Lane Visual and Performing Arts Middle School; La Salle Public Charter Middle School; and Gateway Science, Technology, Engineering and Math High School.
“Imagine what that says to those children, who are predominantly African-American, to walk right across the street and see somebody who looks like them, emboldened in that way,” Jones says.
Wiley is known for his large-scale reimaging of classic tableaux featuring Black people in contemporary dress, including several of St. Louisans painted during his 2017 visit, as well as the official portrait of President Barack Obama. “Rumors of War,” first unveiled in 2019 in New York’s Times Square, is modeled on the statue of confederate general J.E.B. Stuart that used to stand on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia.
“Gateway is always looking to expand our art reach to parts of the city where it doesn’t have enough of a presence,” says Paul Wagman, spokesman for the Gateway Foundation. “Gateway and DOORWAYS discussed some pieces the foundation already owned, but none of them seemed quite right. But then the idea for “Rumors of War” arose, and the answer became abundantly clear.”
Kehinde Wiley's "Rumors of War." Courtesy of Insight PR St. Louis
Jones says it was crucial for both the art and the artist to be relevant to the neighborhood in which it was being placed. “I just kind of innocently said, as an African American and person who is developing this campus, I said I would love to see a piece that’s honoring the people who’ve always lived in JeffVanderLou,” says Jones. “People are worried that this is going to be gentrified, when in fact we’re maintaining space for low-income and disenfranchised people to live there.”
Siting the sculpture outside and on the edge of the campus, with literally no barriers to entry, is extremely important, notes Lisa Melandri, executive director of the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis and a board member of Gateway. The work will sit on a stone pedestal in a plaza designed by Trivers, sitting northwest of Jefferson Avenue’s intersection with Dr. Martin Luther King Drive. The 4.6 acre complex will also include 50 apartment units.
“It’s at the edge of the campus, so it’s outward facing. As a monument, it’s truly public,” says Melandri. “There’s something really important about the fact that it’s not on Art Hill—placing it there is also a kind of redirection of the importance of art in other parts of the city.”
The Art Hill example draws an easy comparison to another notable man on a horse: “You can’t help but think about our dear Saint Louis, who is right at the top of Art Hill,” says Melandri. “This totally recasts who the hero is. The way this protagonist is cast, what he’s wearing, what he looks like—it’s such a powerful reframing. A young Black contemporary man can take on this position of heroism, of the grand monumental protagonist.”
The sculpture should be ready for an unveiling by September, says Jones. The work of getting the Wiley piece secured has been underway for the past two years, and she says it’s been a hard secret to keep.
“We get to host it and be the vessel that brings it here,” Jones says. “It's just amazing.”
