Rothko, Diebenkorn and Degas join Obama in the White House
The world's latest Nobel Peace Prize winner also has excellent taste in art. President Barack Obama has skipped the staid portraits that are usually pulled to adorn White House walls and instead opted for three dozen pieces with a bit more of an edge. Works have been pulled from the National Gallery of Art, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and the Smithsonian American Art Museum to decorate the building the symbolizes executive authority in the United States. The Obama family is definitely leaning modern, with Rothko, Degas and Diebenkorn among the artists represented. They've also included a word painting by Ed Ruscha. Not wanting to deprive the public of the opportunity to view works on display, the Obamas limited their choices to artwork in museum storage.
There's now a lot of money hanging from those White House walls. "Red Band" by Rothko, "Berkeley No. 52" by Diebenkorn and "White Line" by Sam Francis together are estimated to be worth between $20 million and $30 million. Throw a piece by Jasper Johns into the mix – specifically "Numerals, 0 through 9" – and you get a sense of the collection the Obamas have assembled.
Even with access to a collection of that caliber, though, I'd still never take Obama's job. And, there aren't enough Rothkos out there to change my mind.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Richard Grant Oct 11th 2009 1:42AM
Dear Mr. Johansmeyer,
While we welcome the posting of the information about the Diebenkorn painting in the White House, we were somewhat surprised to see that in the 2nd paragraph you got both the spelling of the artist's name and the name of the work wrong. It is Berkeley #52. We would be grateful for a correction.
The Richard Diebenkorn Foundation
Tom Johansmeyer Oct 10th 2009 10:30PM
Thanks-- you may want to contact ArtInfo about the name of the piece, as they apparently have it wrong, too.
Gary Arseneau Oct 11th 2009 1:03AM
October 11, 2009
Edgar Degas never cast in bronze.
All so-called bronzes attributed to Edgar Degas are 2nd- to 3rd-generation-removed posthumous forgeries with counterfeit "Degas" signatures applied.
The dead don't cast, much less sculpt.
The Hirshhorn is a member of the Association of Art Museum Directors. The AAMD endorses the College Art Association's ethical guidelines on sculptural reproduction. In part, they state: "any transfer into new material unless specifically condoned by the artist is to be considered inauthentic or counterfeit and not acquired or exhibited as works of art."
The dead don't condone.
In closing, the Hirshhorn violates their own endorsed AAMD ethical guidelines on sculptural reproductions by exhibiting or displaying these -counterfeits- as works of art, much less loaning them to the people's White House.
We, as Americans, are being played as fools.
Gary Arseneau
artist, creator of original lithographs & scholar
Fernandina Beach, Florida
info Oct 15th 2009 1:09AM
Degas authority Walter Maibaum has recently made a tremendous discovery in France; he has uncovered a great number of lifetime plaster sculptures by Degas which were completely unknown to previous scholars and experts. When learning of his discovery, the heirs of Edgar Degas authorized bronze castings from the plasters, and exhibitions of the bronzes will begin in Europe this November. Mr. Maibaum is currently writing a book on the discovery, DEGAS: Sculptures Uncovered-History Revealed which will be published in the spring of 2010.
Read about a rare Hébrard foundry bronze sculpture by Edgar Degas, known as Le Tub, to be sold in November by Gray's Auctioneers:
http://www.artfixdaily.com/artwire/release/grays-auctions-rare-degas
Lana Oct 11th 2009 1:50AM
You may see the gallery of the chosen works in NY Times article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/07/arts/design/07borrow.html?scp=1&sq=Obama+art%20collection&st=cse
kriton Oct 11th 2009 5:33AM
Arseneau .... you may want to check you outsized ego at the door, and just rejoice in the fact that our current President knows how to spell Edgar Degas' name, knows from whence he came, appreciate real art when he sees it, and isn't calling the Frenchman's work "Freedom Dancers" (or some equally lame and ludicrous BS).
Gary Arseneau Oct 11th 2009 11:06AM
October 11, 2009
Dear M. Kriton:
"Appealing to personal prejudices rather to reason; attacking an opponent's character rather than an opponent's assertions" is one legal definition of -ad hominem-.
That aside, would "the act of fraudulently making a false document or altering a real one to be used as if geniune," such as for all so-called -Degas bronzes-, be considered -forgeries-?
Finally, would the acquisition of admission fees, city-state-federal grants, corporate sponsorship, tax write-offs and outright sales, from the thousands of non-disclosed -Degas bronze- forgeries, by museums, art dealers and other participants be "a knowing misrepresentation of the truth or concealment of a material fact to induce another to act to his or her detriment" which is one legal definition of -fraud-?
In other words, a false market of thousands upon thousands forgeries has been set up and run for decades to cash in at the expense of the public.
To learn more about these contentious issues of authenticity, link to: http://garyarseneau.blogspot.com/2007/05/all-degas-bronze-sculptures-are-fake.html
Respectfully,
Gary Arseneau
artist, creator of original lithographs & scholar
Fernandina Beach, Florida
edgar Nov 10th 2009 7:52AM
WHO CARES !