Untitled Totem Installed at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
The newest addition to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts’ sculpture garden is Untitled Totem, a bronze work by Richmond-based artist Rubin Peacock. This Rubin Peacock sculpture at VMFA is the first piece by a Virginia artist to join the museum’s outdoor collection—a quiet but significant moment in the institution’s history.
This installation was recently highlighted in Richmond Magazine in an article titled “Bronze Age” by Jackie Kruszewski. The feature explores Rubin Peacock’s long artistic journey and the meaning behind the sculpture’s new public home. It also offers a rare glimpse into the artist’s creative philosophy and personal story, from his Peace Corps years to decades working from his Brook Road studio in Richmond.
Originally created in 1978, Untitled Totem was designed as a personal gift for two early supporters of Rubin’s career. In 2005, Henrietta Near commissioned a version of the sculpture as a memorial to her husband, Pinkney Near, a beloved curator at the VMFA. For ten years, the bronze piece lived quietly in her garden in the Fan. In 2016, she generously donated it to the museum—where it now stands on a pedestal near the Pauley Center, visible to thousands who stroll the grounds or relax nearby.
Untitled Totem at The VMFA
Rubin Peacock in front of his Brook Road Studio
Untitled Totem is a compact yet commanding 5-foot-tall bronze form marked by flowing lines and subtle curves. Its smooth edges and green patina give it both an ancient and modern presence. True to Rubin’s voice, the sculpture comes with no formal artist statement. “Everything doesn’t have a meaning,” he told Richmond Magazine. “It’s just stuff.” Yet, to many viewers, the piece speaks deeply—about time, memory, movement, and meaning.
“Bronze is the ultimate material,” Rubin notes in the piece. “It’s forever, and it has unlimited possibilities.”
Rubin’s self-reliant approach—doing his own casting, waxing, and finishing—brings a rare intimacy to each sculpture. “Bronze is the ultimate material,” he says. “It’s forever, and it has unlimited possibilities.”
This Rubin Peacock sculpture at VMFA is a lasting testament to his commitment to material, place, and process.
To see more of Rubin’s commissioned sculptures and explore how his work transforms public and private spaces, visit the Selected Commissions page. Or better yet, visit the VMFA garden in Richmond and experience Untitled Totem in person.