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1934: A New Deal for Artists

February 27, 2009 - January 3, 2010

Museum: American Art Museum

Location: 1st Floor, West Galleries

On view are 56 paintings created by artists from across the United States working under the Public Works of Art Program, a federal New Deal program that lasted only six months from mid-December 1933 to June 1934. Artists participating in the program were encouraged to depict the American scene, but were free to portray any subject matter; they created works ranging from portraits to cityscapes and images of city life to landscapes and depictions of rural life. Their paintings are a lasting visual record of America at a specific moment in time.

Celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Public Works of Art Program.

Catalogue: $44.95 (cloth); $34.00 (paper)

See related article in Smithsonian magazine: June 2009, pp. 62-67

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