American artist Norman Rockwell’s So You Want to See the President! (1943) was acquired by The White House Historical Association at Heritage Auction House in Dallas on November 14th. The work sold for $7.25 million, accounting for nearly half of the sale’s $14.76 million total and setting a new record for a work on paper by Rockwell. (All prices include fees.)
So You Want to See the President! was commissioned by Stephen T. Early, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s press secretary, during World War II. The four-panel painting on paper features vignettes of various characters, including soldiers, civilians, and senators, in the White House waiting room. It hung in the White House from 1978 through 2022 on a loan from Early’s family, before returning to the private collection of his descendants, the Elam family.
“Stephen T. Early’s close relationship and legacy with FDR was unrivaled, and through this artwork, Rockwell gave us a glimmer of this palpable relationship, rooted in trust, collaboration, and confidence,” said Nile Elam in a press release. “So You Want to See the President! reiterated the public’s access to the highest public office in the free world at an uncertain and unpredictable time in America’s history.”
In a statement, Stewart McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Association, said that Rockwell’s work “will now be part of the Association’s educational mission to preserve and share the rich history of the White House.”
The White House Historical Association, a private nonprofit, was founded by First Lady Jackie Kennedy in 1961. This is the most expensive work ever purchased by the association, according to ABC News. It previously acquired The Builders (1947) by Jacob Lawrence in 2007 for $1.5 million. This work hangs in the White House Green Room.
from Artsy News https://ift.tt/VoPLBHE
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