A life-size bronze statue of Thomas Jefferson was added to the White House Rose Garden last week, expanding the collection of sculptures honoring key figures from American history. The statue, created by sculptor George Lundeen, depicts Jefferson seated with a quill in hand alongside a draft of the Declaration of Independence.

The addition was funded and arranged by filmmaker Steven C. Barber, who saw the installation as a fitting tribute to coincide with the United States' 250th anniversary this year. Barber said the timing of the statue’s arrival in Washington marked “as good as it gets” for commemorating the semiquincentennial.

Lundeen, who also crafted a statue of former President Donald Trump for the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., described Jefferson as a complex historical figure. “Of course I know that through the years, President Jefferson has had his ups and downs,” Lundeen said, “but without the man, I don’t know if we’d have an America.”

According to Lundeen, Trump personally expressed his approval of the new statue in a voice mail message, praising the sculpture and the Rose Garden as an ideal location.

The Jefferson statue joins four other figures already displayed in the Rose Garden, including statues of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, and a work titled “Freedom’s Charge,” which honors soldiers of the Revolutionary War. Reports indicate that the Franklin, Hamilton, and “Freedom’s Charge” sculptures are on loan from Harlan Crow, a conservative art collector and political donor, who previously housed them at his corporate campus in Dallas. Crow did not provide comment when contacted.

In addition to the Rose Garden statues, a statue of Christopher Columbus was installed earlier this year in front of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, adjacent to the White House’s West Wing, reflecting the broader initiative by the Trump administration to mark the nation’s 250th anniversary.

These installations form part of a larger effort championed by Trump, including plans for a National Garden of American Heroes featuring sculptures of notable historical figures and a proposed 250-foot triumphal arch, aimed at celebrating American heritage during the semiquincentennial year.