VMFA removes front-lawn sculpture due to structural instability
A prominent sculpture was removed from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in late March after an inspection by conservation staff revealed "structural instability caused by rust," according to the museum.
Titled "Arches and Column," the sculpture by Lee Kelly was installed in 1982, and aside from periods of renovation has stood facing Arthur Ashe Boulevard since.
The work weighs an estimated 15,000 pounds. Kelly, whose work is primarily seen across the Pacific Northwest, died in 2022.
A spokesperson for the VMFA wrote that outdoor pieces are regularly inspected as they can be impacted by the elements.
"The Lee Kelly sculpture Arches and Column (1982), formerly situated in front of VMFA, was deaccessioned due to structural instability caused by rust, and the sculpture has been returned to the estate of the artist," the spokesperson wrote in an email.
A Richmond Times-Dispatch account of the installation from 1982 said the original intention was for the piece to be fabricated from aluminum by locally based Reynolds Metal Company, but that plan was abandoned "because of economic things that happened with aluminum" around the time of the project.
The final version was made with Corten steel.
The work was initially gifted anonymously, but the donors were later revealed to be VMFA patrons John and Julia Curtis. The gift was in tribute to Julia's mother, who was a longtime supporter of Kelly, according to the Times-Dispatch.
The VMFA plans to break ground on a $261 million expansion project later this year.
