b. 1838 d. 1930
Site Affiliation: Edward Valentine Sculpture Studio at the Valentine Museum
Born in 1838, Edward V. Valentine’s interest in art led him to work with Richmond artist William Hubard and to take anatomy classes. In 1859, Valentine left for Europe to work with several artists, including German sculptor August Kiss, until 1865. After returning to Richmond, Valentine established a sculpture studio in an old carriage house and sculpted Confederate generals for public display and racist caricatures for private home decoration. His work spread the Lost Cause myth. In this studio, Valentine made the majority of his works, including the Recumbent Lee for Washington and Lee University, the classical sculpture Andromache and Astyanax displayed at the World’s Columbian Exhibition in 1893, and the statues for the Davis Monument on Monument Avenue in Richmond (removed in 2020). From 1894 until his death in 1930, he served as the first president of the Valentine Museum, founded by his brother, Mann S. Valentine II.
Primary Medium: Sculpture
Primary Stylistic Term: Neoclassical
Fun Fact: In 2020, activists pulled down Edward Valentine’s statue of Jefferson Davis on Monument Avenue in Richmond. That statue is now on view in the Valentine Museum.
Recommended Publications: Edward V. Valentine by The Valentine Museum Staff (2023)