Posted on 10/07/2009 4:50:30 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
Michelle Obama oversaw the transformation to the White House décor
Barack Obama's pledge to usher in a new era at the White House has borne fruit in the décor, now heaving with abstract art after a drastic makeover.
Not since the exterior had to be painted white after the British reputedly set it ablaze during the 1812 War, have the walls of the US presidential residence undergone such a startling transformation.
The landscapes, still life and portraits of the past have been ousted by bold colours, irregular shapes and squiggly lines.
Abstract works by modern art icons such as Jasper Johns and Mark Rothko, as well as sculptures by Degas, are sharing hanging space with contemporary African-American and Native-American pictures by relatively obscure artists.
The influx does not just extend to paintings – patent models for a gear cutter and a steamboat paddlewheel now sit in the Oval Office.
Michelle Obama oversaw the transformation, borrowing some 45 works from local museums to decorate both their private living quarters and the public spaces of the East and West Wings.
Other recent first families hung a few modern pieces in their living quarters – Jacqueline Kennedy liked Cezanne, Hillary Clinton put up some Kandinsky and de Kooning – but none approached the scope of the Obamas, said William Allman, the White House curator.
For their living quarters, the couple chose Glenn Ligon's Black Like Me No. 2, a 1992 "text painting" that reproduces some of the contents of Black Like Me, a 1961 book by a white man who travelled the American South disguised as a black man.
Michael Smith, the Obamas' decorator visited Harry Cooper, curator of modern and contemporary art at the National Gallery in Washington, shortly before Mr Obama's inauguration to see what could be borrowed
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
ping
Jasper Johns and Mark Rothko,
As an artist myself, who attended Massachussetts College of Art in the early 70’s (ugh!) I remember these two Abstract Expressionists IN PARTICULAR. They made a career out of desacrating the American Flag. Especially Jasper Johns.
William H. Johnson. His painting Children Dance, a 1970 oil on plywood, was chosen for
the Obamas’ private residence
yitbos
yitbos
That’s a joke, isn’t it?? If not, where are the white people in the painting?
Maybe some of The Kenyans' friends own considerable William H. Johnson?
yitbos
WTF is that supposed to be? God PLEEEEEEEASE let 2012 get here soon.
I still think she’s messin’ with us. The more her wardrobe gets criticized, the more outrageous her outfits become.
You should not have to TELL a first lady not to make a travesty of the public walls in the White House. She should automatically have enough taste and sense not to do that.
It’s another case of making a finger gesture at traditional Americans.
William H. Johnson?
Some of his works actually have a rhythm and a primitive charm about them that make them much more pleasing to look at than the examples in this thread. However, they are still inappropriate for the public areas of tghe White house, which is a National monument.
Even the private living quarters are only supposed to be occupied for a maximum of 8 years. (Please SHORTER for the present occupants!) Such drastic changes are unacceptable.
Was afraid the place would have to be all but torched then start over.
Well, someone in the WH wanted to show off Michelle's interior decorator's talent.
These decorates are all over the world's papers today. It is not exclusive to The Telegraph. I started with The Telegraph's article and three photos. The later photos are from The Times.
yitbos
Something is seriously with Obama and his wife.
Off the top of my head, you forgot to bold 2, 3 12 and 25.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.