Even if one ignores color, and just looks at the art and artistic achievement, there are plenty of great American artists, who happen to be black, who one suspects should be in the White House collection.
Some art greats, by artistic default, I would think, would have to be Black, or Asian, or Native American, not just Caucasian artists - after all, all four races of mankind create art and all four and their many mixtures, live in America.
And let's say that the White House's collection is not exactly, ah... contemporary, which would eliminate a lot of good modern choices; and after all, the White House is not an art museum, but it sort of feels that it should be a classy arts conglomerate where all things say "America."
Back in the 1980's, Jacob Lawrence was awarded the National Medal of Arts from President George Bush The First. Why did it take 27 years for one of his paintings to become part of the White House's permanent collection?
Capps identifies the other two paintings: "Henry Ossawa Tanner’s Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City (1885) also hangs in the Green Room, its home since 1996. And an 1892 painting by one “Bannister” (they likely mean Ed Bannister) acquired last year is currently undergoing conservation."
So two of the three have been acquired by the Bushes, and before 1996 there wasn't a single work of art by any black artist in the President's home, in spite of the fact that artists such as Jacob Lawrence, Romare Bearden, Sam Gilliam, Martin Puryear, Alma Thomas, and others are all just great American artists, period, and have even broken the National Gallery of Art code, and should all probably have been acquired by the White House years and years and years ago.
Makes my head hurt.
Article comments
1 - Raymond E. Johns
Thank you Mr.Campello for speaking well as a just man.however,it is very sad that America still look down on great Black men,whom have given much,but.Mr.Bush-W-did work with the King family to get Rev.King on the DC grounds.maybe this will be an open door for future black art contribtions.thank you for caring.
2 - Raymond E. Johns
Thank you Mr.Campello for speaking well as a just man.however,it is very sad that America still look down on great Black men,whom have given much,but.Mr.Bush-W-did work with the King family to get Rev.King on the DC grounds.maybe this will be an open door for future black art contribtions.thank you for caring.