Fine Arts Collection

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Phillip Guston, Reconstruction and the Wellbeing of the Family, 1943,
Wilbur J. Cohen Building, Washington, DC
commissioned through the New Deal Fine Arts programs

The Fine Arts Program manages GSA’s Fine Arts Collection to ensure its safety, accessibility, preservation, and appropriate use in order to enhance and promote high-quality work environments for federal agencies and the public they serve.

The Fine Arts Collection, one of our nation’s oldest and largest public art collections, consists of works dating from the 1850’s to the present. The works of art, which include those acquired through the Art in Architecture Program and under the federal patronage of the New Deal art projects, are integral to the architecture of GSA federal buildings. These civic works of art are located in federal buildings and courthouses across the United States. In addition, over 23,000 small moveable New Deal works of art are on long term loan to museums and other nonprofit institutions. Maintained by GSA as a part of our national and cultural heritage, the Fine Arts Collection serves as a reminder of the important tradition of individual creative expression.

The collection does not include:

• Decorative arts, such as furniture and light fixtures (unless commissioned through the Art in Architecture Program).
• Architectural ornamentation or details, such as historic mosaic flooring, stenciled borders, ceiling medallions, coffered ceilings, cast eagles, and ornamental molding (unless commissioned through the Art in Architecture Program).
• Commemorative works of art, such as busts, statues, and portraits.
• Artwork purchased for office space, such as reproduction prints and posters.
• Artworks that give the appearance of personal, commercial, or political endorsement.

The shortcut to this page is www.gsa.gov/finearts.