Washington's Arts of War Statues Restored with Gold Leaf, Trump Shows Photos

The pair of bronze horse sculptures known as the Arts of War, flanking the eastern entrance to Arlington Memorial Bridge near the Lincoln Memorial, have been stripped of scaffolding after a multi‑year restoration. The National Park Service oversaw a $5 million regilding that applied a thin layer of nearly pure 23‑karat gold leaf to the figures and their granite pedestals, the first such treatment in roughly fifty years. President Donald Trump posted the unveiling on Truth Social, describing the removal of the scaffolding and the gleaming appearance of the restored monuments.

The work, part of a broader effort to ready Washington, D.C., for the United States’ 250th anniversary in 2026, also includes repairs to surrounding lawns and parkland. While sidewalks and the bridge remain open, some areas of the park stay closed, with restrictions expected to continue through the end of September. The statues, created by American sculptor Leo Friedlander and installed in 1951, were originally commissioned in 1929, delayed by the Great Depression, and previously restored in 1974.