LOOKING AT Advancing American Art and the State Department Collection 1946–1948 Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, University of Oklahoma
Join the Debate!
Several paintings
in the American Art galleries were purchased from the War Assets Administration in 1948. Now part of the museum’s U.S. State Department Collection, these 38 paintings were included in the State Department’s divisive exhibition, Advancing American Art (1946-48). The show gained international attention while igniting heated debates amongst the public, art insiders, and the press. Advancing American Art began as a patriotic initiative, one that showcased the cosmopolitan postwar landscape of the United States. In the 1940s, immigrant artists flocked to America in search of creative freedom while introducing innovative art trends. Because the exhibition focused on popular styles from Europe, it introduced challenging questions for American viewers.
See pages 20–27 for full collection and image credits.
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This guide presents polarizing views about the exhibition and invites you (or your visiting group) to think about and discuss both sides of the argument.
Advancing American Art showcases diverse styles of modern art Before you jump into the debate, take a moment to familiarize yourself with some of the works included in the exhibition.
SURREALISM Most of us think of Salvador DalĂ when we hear the term Surrealism, but many artists, like Adolph Gottlieb, were interested in connecting to unconscious drives and desires. Automatic writing, or doodling without thinking, was a technique used by the artist to render universal shapes and symbols.
CUBISM Romare Bearden’s work draws influence from Cubism, a movement of art associated with Pablo Picasso and George Braque. Cubism imagines seeing all angles of an object or scene at once.
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SOCIAL REALISM There are many negative things in the world that we wish we could ignore. Social Realism confronts the viewer with difficult topics, including poverty, injustice, and prejudice. Jack Levine’s painting exemplifies tough issues in postwar society.
ABSTRACTION Abstraction does not mean a painting won’t resemble recognizable subject matter. In this example, Georgia O’Keeffe exaggerates and isolates one leaf of a skunk cabbage to help the viewer focus on something often overlooked – the simple beauty of nature.
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Advancing American Art in the news, 1946–48
Now on to the debate! Con
vs
Pro
Which side will you support?
Con
Your Money Bought These Paintings The U.S. State Department spent nearly $50,000 in citizen tax dollars on 117 paintings going by the name of “modern art.” Representing a baffling range of styles (or so-called “isms”) including Cubism, Expressionism, and Surrealism, these works were selected to symbolize the freedom of expression and individualism enjoyed by American artists after the second World War. Beginning in 1946, this collection traveled the globe as part of an exhibition known as Advancing American Art, amidst escalating criticism from politicians and the public. One question which gained ground was derived from a statement by the State Department’s own J. Leroy Davidson. Is this work truly “the very best in American modern painting?”
DEBATE: Should the government be
involved in arts patronage?
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Con
“The roots of most of the State Department collection, these artists will tell you, are not in America – but in the alien cultures, ideas, philosophies, and sickness of Europe.” N.Y. Journal American
Con
“This is exactly what the communists and other extremists want to portray… that the American people are despondent, broken down or of hideous shape – thoroughly dissatisfied with their lot and eager for a change in government …” Rep. Fred Busbey
Con
DEBATE: Do these artworks portray
America in a negative light?
Pro
A Plea for Tolerance Before J. Leroy Davidson was assigned as the State Department’s visual-arts specialist, he was the associate director at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. When tapped to organize an exhibition representing the most advanced art trends in the United States, he could not pass up the opportunity. Who could imagine a more worthy project? The controversy over tax spending was a simple money saving venture: it was more economical to purchase, rather than rent, the 79 oil paintings and 38 watercolors that were selected for the show.
DEBATE: What makes a work of
art beautiful or valuable?
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Pro
“The real issue is not this kind of art or that, but American art. We have an art. Let us be proud of it, whatever form it assumes, provided it is recognized by competent authorities.� Dr. Grace L. McCann Morley, director of the San Francisco Museum
Pro
“[I want to create] a better understanding in foreign countries of American thought in all its aspects…” J. Leroy Davidson
For those who deride modern art or claim the works are merely derivative of European styles, there remains a sincere lack of contextual knowledge that leads to misunderstanding. Artists have always moved beyond popular taste to challenge our preconceptions… to reject this freedom is nothing less than censorship.
DEBATE: What does freedom of
expression mean to you?
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Pro
October 10, 1946 Mr. William Benton Department of State Washington, D.C. Dear Mr. Benton: May I add my congratulations on the exhibition of paintings assembled by your staff and now on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. I understand that this exhibition is to be circulated in other countries and that eventually the individual paintings themselves will hang on the walls of various American consular offices throughout the world. This is very encouraging indeed to those of us whose job it is to uphold aesthetic standards in a time of great change and confusion. With very few exceptions I feel that the paintings in the exhibition are of the highest quality obtainable, and I am sure that they will prove to be stimulating and lively ambassadors for America wherever they are sent. In congratulating you I am really indulging in a kind of smugness, for as a citizen I am proud of a State Department that shows such forthright courage and discrimination. Sincerely yours,
John D. Norse Editor Magazine of Art
“Since… the dual Collection was first shown at the Metropolitan Museum before being sent on tours of Europe and Latin America, it has been used as a political football, involved in acres of red herring, the subject of a mile or more of newsprint, angry petitions and Congressional investigation…” Jo Gibbs, Art Digest
Pro?16
The Aftermath
State Department Art Classed as War Surplus In June of 1948, the State Department bowed to pressure from the opposition and hastily auctioned works from its failed exhibition. In order to expedite the process, works were sold through the War Assets Administration as surplus, which allowed a 95-percent discount for government institutions. Oscar Brousse Jacobson, the founding director of the University of Oklahoma Museum of Art, and William Harold Smith, thenChair of the Art Department, were first in line for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The University of Oklahoma successfully bid on 36 paintings, which created the foundation for the museum’s State Department Collection. The cost for some works was dramatically reduced below the actual value, reaping a tremendous benefit for the university and campus community. A receipt for Georgia O’Keeffe’s Cos Cob shows the selling price as $50.
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Questions for Consideration As you read through the gallery guide, on which side of the debate did you find yourself? Were you sympathetic to both arguments? Why or why not? Do you find commonalities between the issues brought up in the exhibition and the contemporary political landscape? Have some things changed or remained the same?
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Featured works
Romare Bearden (U.S., 1911–1988) At Five in the Afternoon, 1946 Oil on board, 29 1/2 x 37 1/2 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948
Max Weber (U.S., b. Poland, 1881–1961) Two Vases, 1945 Oil on panel, 31 x 24 1/4 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948
Jack Levine (U.S., 1915–2010) The White Horse, 1946 Oil on canvas, 30 x 36 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948
Adolph Gottlieb (U.S., 1903 –1974) The Couple, 1946 Oil on canvas, 24 1/2 x 31 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948 20
Georgia O’Keeffe (U.S., 1887–1986) Cos Cob, 1926 Oil on canvas, 16 x 12 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948
Edward Hopper (U.S., 1882–1967) House at Provincetown, 1930 Watercolor on paper, 20 1/4 x 25 1/2 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948
Ben Shahn (U.S., b. Lithuania, 1898–1969) Renascence, 1946 Gouache on Whatman hotpressed board, 21 7/8 x 30 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948 Anton Refregier (U.S., b. Russia, 1905 –1979) End of the Conference, 1945 Oil on canvas, 32 x 15 1/2 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948
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Other works in the State Department Collection
Douglas Brown (U.S., 1904–1952) Boston, n.d. Watercolor on paper, 15 1/2 x 22 3/4 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948
Stuart Davis (U.S., 1892–1964) Shapes of Landscape Space, 1939 Gouache on paper, 15 x 11 1/2 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948
Gifford Beal (U.S., 1879–1956) Carnival Fair, ca. 1940 Watercolor on paper, 8 x 12 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948
William Baziotes (U.S., 1912–1963) Flower Head, 1945 Oil on canvas, 36 1/8 x 41 7/8 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948
Edmund Lewandowski (U.S., 1914–1998) Cemetery, 1946 Gouache on board, 22 x 30 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948 22
Julio de Diego (U.S., b. Spain, 1900–1979) Nocturnal Family, 1944 Oil on canvas, 23 1/4 x 29 1/4 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948 Rainey Bennett (U.S., 1907–1998) Evening Glow, 1945 Watercolor on paper, 22 1/8 x 19 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948
Charles Howard (U.S., 1899–1978) The Medusa, 1945 Oil on canvas, 14 1/8 x 18 3/16 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948
Ralston Crawford (U.S., 1906–1978) Wing Fabrication, 1946 Oil on canvas, 30 1/8 x 25 1/8 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948
Karl Zerbe (U.S., b. Germany, 1903–1972) Columbus Avenue, 1945 Watercolor on paper, 33 x 38 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948
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Louis Bouché (U.S., 1896–1969) Gallery K, ca. 1946 Oil on linen, 19 1/2 x 22 1/2 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948 Cameron Booth (U.S., 1892–1980) Clown, 1945 Oil on canvas, 29 1/2 x 24 1/2 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948
Morris Kantor (U.S., b. Russia, 1896–1974) Afternoon, n.d. Oil on canvas, 20 x 25 in. Purchased with funds from the Museum Association, 2012
Byron Browne (U.S., 1907–1961) Woman with Bird, 1945 Tempera on board, 24 1/2 x 20 1/2 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948
Robert Gwathmey (U.S., 1903–1988) Workers on the Land, 1946 Oil on canvas, 30 1/4 x 40 1/4 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948
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Dong Moy Chu Kingman (U.S., 1911–2000) Piqua, Ohio, 1946 Watercolor on paper, 15 1/2 x 22 1/2 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948
Loren MacIver (U.S., 1909–1999) Blue Dunes, 1940 Oil on canvas, 40 x 30 1/8 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948
William Gropper (U.S., 1897–1977) They Fought to the Last Man, ca. 1945 Oil on canvas, 30 x 40 1/2 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948
William Gropper (U.S., 1897–1977) Prey, n.d. Watercolor on paper, 22 1/4 x 15 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948
Adolph Gottlieb (U.S., 1903–1974) Night Passage, 1946 Gouache on paper, 25 1/4 x 19 1/2 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948
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Frank Kleinholz (U.S., 1901–1987) White Flowers, 1946 Oil on canvas, 35 1/2 x 30 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948
Benzion Weiman (Ben-Zion) (U.S., 1897–1987) Thistles, n.d.; Mixed media on paper mounted on artist board, 23 1/2 x 18 in. Purchased with funds from the Museum Association, 2012
Abraham Rattner (U.S., 1895–1978) Birds Bathing, ca. 1946 Watercolor on board, 11 3/8 x 15 3/8 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948
George L.K. Morris (U.S., 1905–1975) Shipbuilding Construction, 1944–45 Oil on canvas, 22 x 18 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948
Mervin Jules (U.S., 1912–1994) Wagnerian Opera, n.d. Watercolor on board, 18 x 21 1/2 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948 26
Joseph de Martini (U.S., 1896–1984) Monhegan Cliffs, n.d. Gouache on board, 11 x 13 5/8 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948
George L.K. Morris (U.S., 1905–1975) New England Church, 1935–46 Oil on canvas, 36 1/8 x 30 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948
Abraham Rattner (U.S., 1893–1978) The Yellow Table, 1945 Oil on canvas, 23 9/16 x 28 3/4 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Colletction, 1948
Gregorio Prestopino (U.S., 1907–1984) Newspapers, n.d. Oil on panel, 38 1/8 x 29 7/8 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948
Benjamin Kopman (U.S., b. Russia, 1887–1965) Three Clowns, n.d. Gouache on paper, 16 1/16 x 13 5/8 in. Purchase, U.S. State Department Collection, 1948 27
WHICH SIDE WILL YOU SUPPORT?