Barack Obama has changed his paintings adorn the walls of the White House

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Wall Street Journal
Amy Chozik and Kelly Crowe

Barack Obama is involved not only in health, financial situation, the problems of torture and environmental policies. It also modernizes the art collection of the White House.
Family president stirred the whole microcosm of art, declaring museums, galleries and private collectors that they would like to see in the White House works of modern art of Afro-American, Asian, Latin American artists and artists-women.
Abrupt change of style that prevailed earlier in the White House, dominated still lifes, portraits and pastoral scenes of the 19 th century, they choose the bold abstract works of art.

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This radical change of style is an important event on the art market. Obama's election could affect the market value of products and listing of artists, which his family decided to put in the White House. Museums and collectors immediately offered their work for weighing in this landmark location.
Obama's election will inevitably have political implications, it should indicate a more open management of the current president. In the past, the choice Clintons Simmy Knox, an African-American artist from Alabama, to perform their official portraits, was unanimously approved in political circles. Bush administration's decision to purchase the "builders", now African-American artist Jacob Lawrence, was also well received, although some criticized the picture, which depicts black men involved in unskilled and low-paid work.

Last week, the first family of America hung in the private residence of the White House seven works taken on the loan in the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington "sculpture garden". These include the "heavenly light" and "Uatuzi", a pair of blue and yellow abstraction of African-American artist Alma Thomas, known for its post-war painting, which she used geometric shapes and open the color (direction "sharp edge").
This year the National Gallery of Art has issued the family of President for temporary storage of at least five works, including the landmark relief Jasper Johns' numbers from 0 to 9, a monumental painting by Richard Dibenkorna "Berkeley's number 52, and blood-red canvas Edward Ruscha with the inscription "I think maybe I'll ...», which should please the president, known for his contemplation. Sculpture and works of Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg and Louise Nevelson the same time, also on loan from the National Gallery, were installed in the residence in the inauguration day.

Collectors believe that the choice of Obama family of certain works of art to affect the market value of artists, or at least increase the interest in them. After George W. Bush hung in the Oval Office giperrealisticheskuyu now Texas artist Tom Lee of the Rio Grande ", depicting a cactus against the backdrop of gray clouds, the artist's prices skyrocketed by about 300%, - Ader says Margot, gallery owner in El Paso, selling works of Mr. Lee (who died in 2001, which also increased the value of his works.)

Interest in the president's family to contemporary art manifested itself before she moved to Washington. According to their Chicago friends, their home in Hyde Park is decorated with works of modern art and black and white photos.

White House spokesman said that the Obama family loves all art direction, but wants to make "permanent collection", which would be represented by contemporary American artists of all races and traditions.

According to the plan of the presidential administration, the changes in the White House to promote the practice of funding art

Mr. Obama has included in his package of economic incentives for the National Endowment for the art $ 50 million, while Mrs. Obama recently spoke at the opening of the American wing of the Metropolitan Museum.
According to the White House curator William Allman, wife of Obama began their hunt for art soon after the November elections. Over the finish of private apartments, Michael Smith, a painter from Los Angeles, was specially invited by the President, worked with Mr. Allman, the White House with Secretary Desiree Rogers, etc. Together they chose the product that would help the president in Washington, to feel like home.
Mr. Smith and Mrs. Obama made a wish list, containing about 40 artists, and sent to the Hirschhorn Museum of the request and the possibility of taking their works in the loan. Mr. Smith urged that the work provided for temporary storage, came from the museum's storerooms, and not from exposure.
"Permanent Collection of the White House is a wonderful collection of classic American art of the 18 th and 19 th centuries", said Mr. Smith. "Works of art selected for the lease, are the link between this historical legacy and the different voices of artists of the 20 th and 21 th centuries.

Last week, the couple decided to hang Obama in his "Nice", red-black-green abstraction painter of Russian origin, Nicolas de Stael, written in 1954; a pair of paintings by German artist Josef Albers in a series of "homage to the square, done in shades of gold, red and bluish-purple tones, and two bronze sculptures by Edgar Degas. According to the White House, the museum also suggested that the work of the New York artist Glenn Laygona in Black, as I do "on the segregation of the South, but the president's family had not yet taken a decision on this picture.
President of the United States may hang pictures on his own at their private apartments and offices, including in the Oval Office, but works of art in public places, such as the Green Room, must first obtain the approval of the curator of the White House and the Committee of the White House - an advisory board where the first lady serves as honorary president.

"Any product that is designed for the permanent collection of the White House, passes a rigorous inspection and often long before the White House either accept it as a gift or buy it on private donations - explains Mr. Allman, who works at the White House since 1976 , and holding the position of chief curator since 2002 - "Potential additions to the permanent collection must be performed no less than 25 years ago, and in principle, the White House does not accept the works of living artists, as this may affect the market value of the artist. Thus, the collection is not so much obdraztsov contemporary art. We - not gallery. This is not a museum. People come to the White House once in your life and have some idea of what they see here. "

At present, permanent collection includes about 450 works, including five works by African American artists: portraits of President Clinton, Mr. Knox, "Builders" Lawrence, "Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City, Henry Osawa Tanner, acquired by Hillary Clinton in 1995 . and hanging in the green room, and Farm, sowing "peaceful landscape, painted in 1892 by an artist from Rhode Island, Edward Bannister, and purchased with donations in 2006.
The White House may also temporarily selected works from the museums, galleries and collections and display them in private residences and in public places. The president must return the things taken out, at the end of term.
Many of the collectors who have helped Mr. Obama during his campaign, is now offering his work from his collection. One of these collectors is a New York-based collector of African-American art ET Williams.

Most recently, Mr. Williams, a former banker and currently a real estate investor, offered a pearl of his collection, Portrait of Lois Maylie Jones, valued at 15,000 dollars as a gift to the permanent collection of the White House. He stressed that although the transfer of a loan or a gift will increase its value as a collector, his gesture is explained solely by a desire to support the president. But the White House reminded that any donations in the permanent collection must be approved by the office of curators.
African-American collectors are following with interest the developments in the White House. Bridget MakKellou Alexander, a Chicago art consultant, who studied at the school with the first lady, says that many of her clients are ready to provide their work in temporary storage in the White House. "It's as if the news came that the family of President to fill your fridge. You can easily crawl through the "grocery list" of artists, "she says.

The White House has long been a place of constant change of artistic preferences. During the War of 1812 Dolly Madison saved a portrait of George Washington Gilbert Stuart. Jacqueline Kennedy raised high the prestige of the White House when she learned eight Cezanne from the store's permanent collection.

Subsequent administrations have tried to fill the gaps in the permanent collection of American art. Call Hillary Clinton to the Committee of the White House to take an abstract work of Georgia O'Kif "Gore in the Bear Lake, Taos, written in 1930, was a success, despite what some people said that this work is alien to the elegance of the 19 th century green room.

Laura Bush persuaded the Committee to accept a gift of Andrew Wyeth painting, with the exception of the ban on the acquisition of works of living artists. "Thank God, they accepted it, because he soon died, and now they would never be able to buy this work," says art historian William Kloss, who serves on the Committee since 1990.
In 2007, "Trust the White House on acquisitions, non-profit fund, which buys pieces of art approved by the Committee, paid $ 2.5 million for the collage of Jacob Lawrence, depicting construction workers, far surpassing the record for the artist at auction tenders (968,000 dollars), said Eric Wilding, head of the American departimaenta Christie's. Presumably, this purchase gave new impetus to the works of Lawrence: the following year, a collector bought it at Christie's for other Lawrence 881,000 dollars, the third-largest price ever paid for his work.

However, the acquisition in 1995, pictures of Henry Osawa Tanner "Beach Atlantic City" scenes have had the opposite effect. The White House has acquired the work of the artist at his great-niece of 100 000 dollars, which was significantly below 1 million dollars, the prices of similar works of Tanner. Some gallery owners argue that this led to lower prices on this artist.

Mrs. Bush hung in the private residence of the President of the modern Helen Frankenteler and wanted the Committee to become the work of Lawrence, and Mr. Bush had hung in his office at least six in Texas landscapes.

"He [Mr Bush] was fond of painting, which reminded him of Texas, and said that he wants to make it clear that in the Oval Office runs an optimistic person," - said Anita McBride, the former chief of staff, Mrs. Bush said. She stressed that all the pictures leased spouses Bush, were returned.


Mr. Obama has caused a sensation by deleting after the inauguration of the Oval Office a bronze bust of Winston Churchill, transmitted to the temporary storage of the British Embassy, and replacing it with a bust of Martin Luther King Jr. of the African-American sculptor, Charles Alston, on loan from the National Portrait Gallery Smithsonian Institution.

A month suprkugi Obama decide to lease four works of Afro-American painter William H. Johnson of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Art Institute of Chicago plans to send about 10 works for the consideration of the president's family, including the works of African-American modernists Boforda Delaney and abstract expressionist Franz Kline.

Steve Stewart, amateur historian who has studied White House for three decades, believes that Obama's family should not be too bound by tradition. "You should not feel obliged to look at Mrs. Hoover to your bed for four years, if you do not want this" - he said.