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The Obamas Want Contemporary Art

February 26, 2009 by Marion Maneker

Picking up on a story by David Ross in The Daily Beast, the Times of London names some likely names that might adorn the walls of the White House private quarters because the Obamas have put out feelers to the nation’s museums for work by living artists that might displayed in their home:

The Sunday Times has learnt that the works that have caught their eye include paintings by Jasper Johns, best known for his iconic 1950s images of the American flag, and Ed Ruscha, one of the originators of pop art, which belong to the National Gallery in Washington.

The final selection has not been made yet, but paintings by the late Robert Rauschenberg, a sometime lover of Jasper Johns who died aged 82 last year, are also under consideration.

Here’s what Ross discovered for the Beast:

“I think it would be symbolically and materially important to have works of art made by living American artist on view in the White House,” says Madeleine Grynsztejn, the new director of Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art.

In an email, Michael Govan, the director of the Los Angeles County Museum, went so far as to nominate some artists for eventual White House display. A “Norman Zammitt sunset would be beautiful…Cathie Opie’s series of photographs of American cities would be perfect.”

Obama’s Plan for White House Art (The Daily Beast)

Obamas in Hunt for Modern Art (The Times of London)

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Contemporary

About Marion Maneker

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