Hank Willis Thomas: A Suspension of Hostilities, 2019

Why It Matters

The sculpture spotlights the persistence of Confederate symbols in mainstream culture, prompting critical reassessment of heritage narratives amid nationwide monument removals. It demonstrates how contemporary art can catalyze public dialogue about historical memory and racial representation.

Key Takeaways

• Thomas recreates the General Lee Dodge Charger with Confederate flag.
• Car stands upright, confronting viewers with Civil War symbolism.
• Part of MOCA's MONUMENTS show addressing monument removals.
• Highlights how Confederate imagery infiltrated 20th‑century pop culture.
• Invites dialogue on heritage, rebellion, and historical memory.

Pulse Analysis

A Suspension of Hostilities transforms a beloved TV prop into a confrontational sculpture. Thomas’s replica of the 1969 Dodge Charger—famously known as the General Lee—mirrors the car’s original orange paint, horn that played “Dixie,” and the controversial Confederate flag draped across its roof. By mounting the vehicle vertically, the artist forces viewers to meet the symbol head‑on, turning a nostalgic pop‑culture artifact into a stark reminder of the Civil War’s legacy and the lingering symbolism of rebellion.

The piece anchors the MONUMENTS exhibition at The Geffen Contemporary, a collaborative effort by MOCA and The Brick that gathers removed Confederate monuments, vandalized statues, and new works that question public memory. Within this context, Thomas’s car joins a broader narrative of decommissioned symbols being re‑situated inside museum walls, where they can be examined rather than ignored. The exhibition underscores a historic moment of nationwide monument removal, offering a platform for artists to reinterpret contested histories and propose alternative narratives.

Beyond its visual impact, the sculpture sparks a larger conversation about how Confederate imagery seeped into 20th‑century entertainment, normalizing a painful past under the guise of rebellion and heritage. Thomas’s personal connection—growing up watching The Dukes of Hazzard with his family—illustrates how such symbols become embedded in collective memory without critical scrutiny. By foregrounding this tension, the artwork encourages audiences to reconsider the cultural cost of unexamined nostalgia and highlights contemporary art’s role in reshaping public discourse on race, memory, and identity.

Original Description

A Suspension of Hostilities is an artwork that has been created in 2019 by Hank Willis Thomas (b. 1976, Plainfield, New Jersey; lives in New York). It has been part of the group show “Monuments” at The Geffen at MOCA and The Brick in Los Angeles. It consists of a 1969 Dodge Charger automobile. This is what the official description says about the piece: “Hank Willis Thomas frequently repurposes imagery from popular culture, especially as it pertains to race and represen-tation. A Suspension of Hostilities faithfully replicates the iconic muscle car from the 1980s hit TV show The Dukes of Hazzard. Named the General Lee after Robert E. Lee, the car was famous for its airborne leaps along the hilly Georgie back roads, with the characters Bo and Luke Duke at the wheel, typically in flight from the local law. Its horn played the first twelve notes of "Dixie," a minstrel song that served as the de facto Confederate national anthem. In Thomas's sculpture, a replica of the car, which included the Confederate flag emblazoned on its roof, stands vertically facing the viewer. The actual Robert E. Lee famously surrendered his fight at Appomattox Court House in 1865, a "suspension of hostilities" that ended the Civil War. Like many Americans, Thomas watched The Dukes of Hazzard growing up, calling it his favorite TV show and even owning Duke action figures and a model of the car itself. "My grandmother watched it with me. My mother watched it with me. There was never any mention or suggestion that there was a problem with the context or the Confederate flag." The television show exemplifies how Confederate iconography became part and parcel of American pop culture under the guise of rebellion, heritage, and popular entertainment.”

“Co-organized and co-presented by MOCA and The Brick, MONUMENTS marks the recent wave of monument removals as a historic moment. The exhibition reflects on the histories and legacies of post-Civil War America as they continue to resonate today, bringing together a selection of decommissioned monuments, many of which are Confederate, with contemporary artworks borrowed and newly created for the occasion. Removed from their original outdoor public context, the monuments in the exhibition will be shown in their varying states of transformation, from unmarred to heavily vandalized.”

Hank Willis Thomas: A Suspension of Hostilities, 2019. The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, Los Angeles.

#thedukesofhazard #dodgecharger #generallee

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