Washington Sculpture: A Cultural History of Outdoor Sculpture in the Nation's Capital

This sweeping study takes readers on a fascinating tour of Washington, D.C.’s monuments, statues, headstones, and memorials. James M. Goode canvasses more than 500 sculptural pieces, often overlooked by residents and visitors, and presents critical discussions and detailed histories of each work. The result is a graphic history of the cultural, political, and military contributions of America’s greatest leaders.

Washington Sculpture revises and updates Goode’s classic 1974 book The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C., expanding its survey to include pieces found in nearby Maryland and Virginia, unusual cemetery sculpture, and monuments recently erected on the National Mall―the National WWII Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. Chapters explore the city's fourteen neighborhoods as well as the Maryland and Virginia suburbs.

Both a guide for visitors and a reference for serious historians, Washington Sculpture offers the most comprehensive examination of urban sculpture in the nation's capital.