Art in the White House

The Avenue in the Rain by Childe Hassam (1917), depicting Fifth Avenue in New York City, has hung in the Oval Office during Bill Clinton's, Barack Obama's, Donald Trump's and Joe Biden's administrations.

The White House's art collection, sometimes also called the White House Collection or Pride of the American Nation,^[1] has grown over time from donations from descendants of the Founding Fathers to commissions by established artists.^[2] It comprises paintings, sculptures, and other art forms.^[3] At times, the collection grows from a president's specific request, such as when Ronald Reagan began collecting the work of naval artist Tom Freeman in 1986, a tradition that continued through the Obama years.^[4]

History

The White House's Art collection was established by an Act of Congress in 1961 and grew extensively during the Kennedy Administration.^[5] It now includes more than 65,000 objects if individual items are catalogued.^[6] As of 2021, there are more than 500 pieces on view under the care of the White House Curator and the White House Historical Association,^[7] and these are often complemented by those on loan from museums.^[8][6][9]

Gallery

Portraits

• 
  Portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart, 1796
• 
  Portrait of John Adams by John Trumbull, c. 1792−1793
• 
  Portrait of Thomas Jefferson by Rembrandt Peale, 1800
• 
  Portrait of Andrew Jackson by Ralph Eleaser Whiteside Earl, c. 1835
• 
  Portrait of William Henry Harrison by James Reid Lambdin, 1835
• 
  Portrait of Millard Fillmore by George Peter Alexander Healy, 1857
• 
  Portrait of John Quincy Adams by George Peter Alexander Healy, 1858
• 
  Portrait of Franklin Pierce by George Peter Alexander Healy, 1858
• 
  Portrait of Martin Van Buren by George Peter Alexander Healy, 1858
• 
  Portrait of James Knox Polk by George Peter Alexander Healy, 1858
• 
  Portrait of John Tyler by George Peter Alexander Healy, 1864
• 
  Portrait of Abraham Lincoln by George Peter Alexander Healy, 1869
• 
  Portrait of Theodore Roosevelt by John Singer Sargent, 1902
• 
  Portrait of William Howard Taft by Anders Zorn, 1911
• 
  Portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt by Frank O. Salisbury, 1947
• 
  Portrait of John F. Kennedy by Aaron Shikler, 1970

Non-portraits

• 
  To the Genius of Franklin by Jean-Honoré Fragonard, c. 1778
• 
  Landing of the Pilgrims by Michele Felice Cornè, between c. 1805 and c. 1807
• 
  The President's House by George Munger, between c. 1814 and c. 1815
• 
  Mouth of the Delaware by Thomas Birch, 1828
• 
  City of Washington from Beyond the Navy Yard by George Cooke, 1833
• 
  Dismissal of School on an October Afternoon by Henry Inman, 1845
• 
  Lighter Relieving the Steamboat Aground by George Caleb Bingham, 1847
• 
  Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Leutze, 1851
• 
  Niagara Falls by John Frederick Kensett, c. 1852−1854
• 
  Going to Church by George Henry Durrie, 1853
• 
  Jones Inn, Winter by George Henry Durrie, 1853
• 
  Boston Harbor by Fitz Hugh Lane, 1854
• 
  Boys Crabbing by William Ranney, 1855
• 
  Farmyard in Winter by George Henry Durrie, 1858
• 
  Independence Hall in Philadelphia by Ferdinand Richardt, between c. 1858 and c. 1863
• 
  Waiting for the Hour by William Tolman Carlton, 1863
• 
  The Peacemakers by George P.A. Healy, 1868
• 
  Liberty by Constantino Brumidi, 1869
• 
  Union by Constantino Brumidi, 1869
• 
  Sailing off the Coast by Martin Johnson Heade, 1869
• 
  The Rainbow in the Berkshire Hills by George Inness, 1869
• 
  Cannonading on the Potomac by Alfred W. Thompson, c. 1869
• 
  Nocturne James Abbott McNeill Whistler, c. 1870−1877
• 
  Storm Clouds by Albert Bierstadt, c. 1880
• 
  Surf at Prout's Neck by Winslow Homer, c. 1895
• 
  U.S.S. Galena by Antonio Jacobsen, 1909
• 
  The Mosquito Net by John Singer Sargent, 1912
• 
  Three Children by George Bellows, 1919

Cézanne works^[a]

• 
  Paysage avec clocher (Landscape with Bell Tower) by Paul Cézanne, c. 1875
• 
  Maisons flottantes sur un fleuve (Houses Floating on a River) by Paul Cézanne, between 1875 and 1877
• 
  Still Life With Quince, Apples, and Pears by Paul Cézanne, between 1885 and 1887
• 
  Hameau à Payennet près de Gardanne (Hamlet at Payennet, near Gardanne) by Paul Cézanne, between 1886 and 1890
• 
  Maison au bord de la Marne (House on the Marne) by Paul Cézanne, between 1888 and 1894
• 
  Sous-bois (Underwood) by Paul Cézanne, between 1890 and 1892
• 
  Still Life With Skull by Paul Cézanne, c. 1900
• 
  Maisons sur la colline, Provence (Houses on the Hill) by Paul Cézanne, between 1904 and 1906

Monet Works

• 
  Matinée sur la Seine, le beau temps (Morning on the Seine, good weather) by Claude Monet, 1897 (donation Mrs J.F. Kennedy in 1963)^[12]

See also

• Committee for the Preservation of the White House
• United States Capitol art
  • List of artwork at the United States Capitol complex
• White House Acquisition Trust

References

Notes

1. Upon the death of American art historian and art collector Charles Loeser in 1928, his will directed that the President of the United States would be able to choose eight of his Paul Cézanne "to adorn the White House".^[10][11]

Sources

1. "Art in the White House". clintonwhitehouse4.archives.gov. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
2. "Art for the President's House: An Historical Perspective (Early - Middle 1800's)". georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
3. "Diversity in White House Art". WHHA (en-US). Retrieved 9 March 2021.
4. "Reagan to Obama: Naval Art in the White House". U.S. Naval Institute. 1 February 2009. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
5. Taubman, Howard (20 July 1967). "Art in the White House; Quality Portraits of the First Ladies And Americana Are Sought for Mansion (Published 1967)". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
6. Wecker, Menachem (5 February 2018). "Beyond the Golden Toilet: How Does Art End Up in the White House, and What Does It Tell Us About Our Leaders?". Artnet News. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
7. Kloss, William; Bolger, Doreen; Curry, David Park; Monkman, Betty; Wilmerding, John (1992). Art in the White House: A Nation's Pride. White House Historical Association. ISBN 978-0-8109-3965-3. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
8. Bednarz, Christine (31 October 2012). "When President Becomes Curator: Art in the White House". MutualArt. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
9. "Art in the White House". White House Historical Association. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
10. "LOESER WILL CALLS HARVARD UNSIGHTLY; Art Critic, Writing in 1924, Regretted New Buildings in "Yard" He Loved. MAKES IT RESIDUARY HEIR Bequest of $500,000, Contingent on Trust Fund to Wife and Daughter, Is Not for Construction. Harvard Is Residuary Legatee. Sister Gets Williams Estate". The New York Times. 7 April 1928. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
11. Times, Special to The New York (4 May 1961). "WHITE HOUSE HANGS 2 CEZANNE PAINTINGS". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
12. "Morning on the Seine, Good Weather". library.whitehousehistory.org. Retrieved 2024-01-22.

External links

• The White House Collection