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President Obama and his wife, Michelle, are decorating their private spaces with more modern and abstract artwork than has ever hung on the White House walls. New pieces by contemporary African-American and Native American artists are on display. Bold colors, odd shapes, and squiggly lines have arrived, including Edward Ruscha’s “I Think I’ll. . . ’’ (top right) and Susan Rothenberg’s “Butterfly’’ (above right). So, too, have some obscure artifacts, such as the patent model for a steamboat paddlewheel (above left) that now sits in the Oval Office. The Obamas have borrowed dozens of works from various Washington museums and galleries, being sure to use only items that weren’t already on view. |
Parting Shot
A cultural revolution
President Obama and his wife, Michelle, are decorating their private spaces with more modern and abstract artwork than has ever hung on the White House walls. New pieces by contemporary African-American and Native American artists are on display. Bold colors, odd shapes, and squiggly lines have arrived, including Edward Ruscha’s ‘‘I Think I’ll... ’’ and Susan Rothenberg’s ‘‘Butterfly.’’ So, too, have some obscure artifacts, such as the patent model for a steamboat paddlewheel that now sits in the Oval Office. The Obamas have borrowed dozens of works from various Washington museums and galleries, being sure to use only items that weren’t already on view.
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