Art historian: Only dictatorships have built triumphal arches in the last century
Estonian Academy of Arts professor Mart Kalm has commented on U.S. President Donald Trump's plans to build a triumphal arch in Washington, noting that in the past hundred years such monuments have almost exclusively been erected by authoritarian regimes.
Mart Kalm, an architectural historian and professor at the Estonian Academy of Arts, told ERR that the practice of building triumphal arches has essentially ended, and that President Donald Trump's desire to erect one in Washington reveals something about his ambitions.
According to Kalm, the tradition dates back to ancient Rome, beginning as early as the Roman Republic between the sixth and first centuries B.C. These gate-like monuments were built for victorious armies to pass through upon returning to the city with their spoils of war, captives and animals.
Trump has recently confirmed plans to build a triumphal arch in Washington, D.C. Kalm said the last such structures were built roughly a century ago, and that ever since, only dictatorial regimes have continued the practice. He suggested Trump appears to dream of being an emperor, despite leading a republic, and that the arch's initial designs blend elements from various historical triumphal arches.
The planned monument is expected to reach 86 meters in height, slightly taller than the Olümpia Hotel in Tallinn. Kalm said that given the vast scale of Washington, such a large structure makes sense proportionally, though he described the project as pointless gigantomania, while acknowledging it appears to be a professionally executed design.
Kalm named the Arc de Triomphe in Paris as the most famous triumphal arch, built to commemorate Napoleon's numerous military victories. He contrasted this with Trump, questioning what military victories he could point to. Following Napoleon's eventual defeat, many arches across Europe were built to celebrate victories over him instead.
One of the more recent triumphal arches stands in North Korea, built in 1982 by an authoritarian regime to mark the struggle against Japan. Kalm said this example further illustrates who Trump may be seeking to emulate.
The professor also noted that Estonia once considered building such a monument. In 1944, before the war's end, architect Edgar Kuusik designed a victory monument for the Soviet army, planned for a site next to the Tallinn Art Hall in Freedom Square, on the former location of St. John's Church.
