Artwork Details
- Title
- Torso of Valor
- Artist
- Date
- by 1933
- Location
- Dimensions
- 34 3⁄4 x 27 3⁄4 x 12 3⁄8 in. (88.3 x 70.5 x 31.3 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Gordon D. Friedlander
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- bronze
- Classifications
- Keywords
- Figure female — nude
- Figure female — torso
- Object Number
- 1971.150
Artwork Description
Torso of Valor is a preparatory model for Leo Friedlander's equestrian sculptures Valor and Sacrifice, which together form the Arts of War monument, dedicated by President Harry Truman on Washington's Memorial Bridge in 1951. The finished gilded bronze monuments are the largest equestrian sculptures in America, each standing over nineteen feet high and ten feet wide. Instead of emphasizing her feminine features and idealizing her beauty, Friedlander decided to portray Valor as a fighter who personifies America's military power and moral courage in World War II.