White House Festival of the Arts Foundation

This exhibition is no longer on view at the National Gallery.

Overview: 65 works of art--paintings, photographs, and sculptures--were borrowed from 39 museums across the country. This exhibition of contemporary American art, organized by the White House as a salute to the American visual arts and American museums, was on view to invited guests at the White House on June 14. National Gallery staff was in charge of unpacking, registration, installation, and return shipment. Since the one-day exhibition reached such a limited audience and represented tremendous efforts of transportation and installation, the Gallery asked the museum lenders to extend their loans so the works could also be seen at the National Gallery. Extended at the White House for one day, June 15, the works were then brought to the Gallery for a private showing on Friday, June 18. The exhibition opened to the public on Saturday, June 19.

Organization: J. Carter Brown, then the Gallery's assistant director, was an advisor to the White House in the organization and installation of the art at the White House. Most of the sculpture was shown outdoors on the White House grounds.

Program: The White House Festival of the Arts, June 14, 1965, with checklist of the paintings, photographs, and sculpture exhibited. Issued by the White House.

Attendance: 43,926