George Gurney, American Art's Deputy Chief Curator, came by my desk this afternoon to tell me today marked a special occasion in the art world.
On December 12, 1933, seventy-five years ago today, the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) was founded. This was the first of four New Deal art projects. Artists were paid a minimum wage for completed art works that then became property of the government. The project was intended as a way to provide relief to artists and to bring art into public buildings. The PWAP lasted only seven months. Yet within that short period it employed 3,749 artists who were paid a total of $1,184,748.32 for 15,663 works of art. In April 1934, 511 items were exhibited at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington. President Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor chose a number of these works to show in the White House. The success of the PWAP provided the impetus for the rest of the New Deal art programs.
On February 27, 2009, the Smithsonian American Art Museum will open 1934: A New Deal for Artists, which will feature PWAP paintings from our collection, including many shown in the White House and other federal buildings.
