NEW YORK (1010 WINS/AP) — Artist Kehinde Wiley will unveil his first monumental public sculpture in Times Square this fall as a response to Confederate statues nationwide.
Times Square Arts, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and gallery owner Sean Kelly announced Thursday that the bronze sculpture named "Rumors of War" features a young black male dressed in urban streetwear mounted atop a horse.
The project originated when Wiley saw Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart's monument in Richmond, Virginia.
Wiley is known for his paintings of black Americans including a commissioned portrait of President Barack Obama which is displayed at the National Portrait Gallery.
He says the inspiration behind this new statue is war and "an engagement with violence."
"Rumors of War" will be displayed in Times Square from September 27 until December and will then find a permanent home at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.