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MOCA Acquires Kara Walker’s ‘Unmanned Drone,’ Forged From Charlottesville’s Stonewall Jackson Statue

The purchase signals MOCA’s commitment to collecting works that reevaluate how the United States remembers the Confederacy.

Overview

  • MOCA announced the acquisition on February 24 as part of a broader reveal of 158 works by 106 artists added to its collection last year.
  • Walker created the 13-foot bronze in 2023 by slicing apart and reassembling the 1921 Stonewall Jackson monument, removing the general’s face and emphasizing his horse Little Sorrel.
  • The Charlottesville statue, once a focal point of the 2017 Unite the Right rally, was deeded to The Brick through a city request-for-proposals; the nonprofit took possession on January 6, 2022, and then provided it to Walker.
  • Unmanned Drone remains on view at The Brick in the joint Monuments presentation through May 3, with related works also on display at MOCA’s Geffen Contemporary.
  • Within Monuments, it is the only decommissioned Confederate statue that was artistically transformed rather than shown in its removed state.