Rainbow Division Memorial

New statue which is temporarily in the courtyard of the Royal Academy for the duration of the Summer Exhibition.

It is cheating a bit to blog this as a separate entry to the exhibition but it is so lovely I thought I should, plus I wanted to get it on the blog quickly and I’ve not seen the exhibition yet!

The statue is a memorial to the Rainbow Division, the 42nd division of the US National Guard in the First World War. It will be placed at the site of a battle which took place in July 1918 at Croix Rouge Farm where 162 of the division were killed.

It is a classic statue of a First World War soldier carrying a dead colleague by James Butler. There is a poignant contrast between the heavy uniform of the live soldier and the semi—naked loose form of the dead one. It looks lovely against the buildings of Burlington House and I am pleased it has been shown there for a short time before going to France.

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