Section of Painting and Sculpture
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| Section of Painting and Sculpture | |
|---|---|
| Name | Section of Painting and Sculpture |
| Formation | 1934 |
| Dissolved | 1943 |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
| Parent organization | Treasury Department |
Section of Painting and Sculpture The Section of Painting and Sculpture was a New Deal art program established within the United States Department of the Treasury to commission murals and sculptures for federal buildings during the 1930s and early 1940s. It operated alongside contemporaneous programs such as the Works Progress Administration, the Public Works of Art Project, and the Federal Art Project, emphasizing competitions and quality in public art for post offices, courthouses, and other civic spaces. Directors and advisors connected the Section to figures and institutions including Harold L. Ickes, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John Collier (archaeologist), James A. Farley, and major art schools and museums in New York City, Chicago, and Philadelphia.
History
Created within the United States Department of the Treasury under Secretary Henry Morgenthau Jr., the Section emerged from debates involving Franklin D. Roosevelt administration officials and cultural leaders such as Edward Bruce, Harold L. Ickes, and James A. Farley. It grew out of precedents set by the Public Works of Art Project and intersected with programs managed by the Works Progress Administration and by private patrons linked to institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art. The Section operated during the Great Depression and into World War II, influenced by federal policies embodied in the New Deal and wartime budget shifts associated with War Production Board priorities and decisions involving Harry S. Truman and the later Franklin D. Roosevelt wartime administration.
Mission and Functions
The Section’s mission emphasized the enhancement of federal interiors and exteriors through site-specific commissions, often decided by competitions administered by staff with ties to the Smithsonian Institution, the National Gallery of Art, and the United States Commission of Fine Arts. It sought to support artists while prioritizing merit-based selection and durable materials, cooperating with architectural offices such as those of Louis A. Simon and interacting with federal building programs led by Treasury Department building projects overseen in collaboration with municipal authorities like those in Boston, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
Programs and Projects
The Section executed extensive mural and sculpture programs in post offices and courthouses, commissioning works for sites in cities including New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Atlanta, Houston, Seattle, Denver, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Baltimore, St. Louis, Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh, St. Paul, Milwaukee, Columbus, Kansas City, Omaha, Rochester, Albany, Buffalo, Tacoma, Portland, Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Phoenix, Tucson and many rural communities. Projects ranged from allegorical murals installed in courthouses to bas-reliefs on post office facades, often coordinated with architects and local civic leaders from institutions such as the American Institute of Architects and overseen by panels including representatives from the National Academy of Design.
Organizational Structure
The Section operated within the United States Department of the Treasury and reported to Treasury leadership, coordinating with federal agencies like the Civilian Conservation Corps for site work and with cultural bodies such as the National Endowment for the Arts precursors and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Staff included art administrators, competition jurors, and liaison officers who interacted with artists, municipal officials, and building superintendents; notable administrators had links to institutions like the Art Students League of New York, the Cooper Union, and regional museums such as the Art Institute of Chicago.
Notable Works and Artists
The Section commissioned murals and sculptures from artists who became associated with New Deal art efforts, including Thomas Hart Benton, Moses Soyer, Reginald Marsh, D. L. Servin, Dora Wheeler Keith, Muralist Diego Rivera (indirectly influential), Ben Shahn, Alexander Calder (sculptural contemporaries), William Gropper, Grant Wood, Aaron Douglas, José Clemente Orozco (influence), Thomas H. Hughes, Edward Hopper (contextual), Charles Sheeler, Maxfield Parrish (influence), Rockwell Kent, Diego Rivera-era muralists and regional talents in the Midwest, Southwest, Northeast, and Pacific Coast. Specific notable installations remain in historic post offices and courthouses in communities such as Kingman, Gadsden, Eagle Pass, Madison, Walla Walla, Valdosta, and Marion where murals and reliefs reflect local industry, agriculture, and civic history.
Funding and Administration
Funding derived from appropriations to the United States Department of the Treasury as part of federal public building budgets approved by Congress and influenced by debates in the United States Congress and committees such as the House Committee on Appropriations. Administration required coordination with the Treasury Section of Fine Arts offices, contracts with artists, and accounting overseen by Treasury auditors; fiscal decisions were affected by national shifts including the New Deal budget allocations and later wartime fiscal policy linked to agencies such as the War Production Board.
Legacy and Impact
The Section left a physical legacy in hundreds of federal buildings and influenced public reception to civic art alongside programs run by the Works Progress Administration and the Federal Art Project. Its projects shaped conservation debates involving the National Trust for Historic Preservation, inspired scholarship at universities such as Harvard University, Yale University, and Columbia University, and contributed to later federal art policies administered by entities including the National Endowment for the Arts and the General Services Administration. The Section’s emphasis on site-specific commissions continues to inform civic art practices, historic preservation efforts, and municipal arts commissions across the United States.