Modern Art Work & The Obamas

Every modern first lady shows interest in the arts with some being avid fans of a particular form or style.  Jackie Kennedy loved the ballet with an exquisite eye for centuries old antiques while beautiful photographs adorned her private space.  Lady Bird Johnson loved wildflowers, especially those indigenous to Texas, while kick-starting forerunners to environmental projects focusing along highways.   Michelle Obama has eclectic taste and is being ecumenical in her choices for the residence.  When a new first family moves in and during their tenure, the nation's museums are open for them to select what they want to display on the their private residence walls in addition to what is available from the White House Art Collection replete with 18th & 19th century artists.  Laura Bush was quite fond of the impressionist Claude Monet's tranquil water scene gifted to the White House by the family of JFK.  She chose to have it in the West Sitting Hall right across from the door to the Master Bedroom where she could look at it while reading or chatting on the phone.  Hillary worked hard to innovate with a sculpture garden with annual exhibits during her stay as first lady.  (Monet in White House private collection courtesy George W. Bush archives)

Alma Thomas (1891 -1971) an abstract artist who was the first African American to earn a 1971 solo exhibit at the prestigious Whitney museum Art of (Hard Edge), Watusi (completed in 1963) is one of the paintings the Obamas placed in the residence. The other abstract from this artist is named Skylight.

President Obama, Malia & Michelle watch the video montage on the modern artists while in Paris at the  museum known as the Pompidou in June 2009.  Photo courtesy of the White House.

The President & Mrs. Obama made some modern choices for their walls.  Modern art is a theme shown over the past few months with a trip to the Pompidou Centre or the Centre Georges Pompidou during time in Paris.  The Kandinsky Exhibit was quite fun Mom & Dad, but for Sasha & Malia they got to try their hand at making art based on the Alexander Calder (1898 - 1976) exhibit.  It is part of the experience for all children visiting that section of the museum. Wonder what Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky (1866 - 1944) would think.

Richard Diebenkorn (1922 -1993) painted Berkeley No.52 circa 1955.  The colorful abstract has a place of honor at the Obamas. 

Art is a theme throughout the young tenure of the Obama presidency.  Thursday starts the First Couples foray as hosts entertaining heads of state.  A philanthropist married to a United States senator will entertain the Obamas and their guest at her Rosemont Farm.  Teresa Heinz Kerry just missed being a first lady, but 2004 is where Barack Obama came into prominence with the American public.  The Farm will supply the vegetables and meets in a true locavore element that pleases Michelle Obama, though she will not be photographed (today) picking the greens and vegetables herself.  Gardens are a form of art to her. While the spouses negotiate, the first lady will host a tour for the  G-20 spouses (mostly wives) at the Andy Warhol Museum complete with a spectacular luncheon in Pittsburgh.  Prior, the tour will hear more art performed by students, Yo-Yo Ma (performed at the inaugural), Trisha Yearwood and Sarah Bareilles.  An interesting choice of Warhol (Andrew Warhola 1928 - 1987) given the need to treat the international honored guests to sophisticated Americana known as pop art and Warhol was born in Pittsburgh.  President Jimmy Carter feted Warhol in the White house in the 1970s where Warhol presented an art piece that was a rendering of the president.  Warhol has many pieces that explore erotica as well.  Its fraught with interest because the tour will have a climatic ending as one of Warhol's time capsules is due to be opened.  Ought to be quite the topic over lunch - even with all the translators.

Ed Ruscha (born 1937) titled this hip 1983 piece I Think I'll...  This pop art piece particularly underscores the modern element to the Obama's tastes.  Since 1964, Ruscha paints words into many of his paintings.  Sometimes they are satirical and often with touches of humor.

Upon their return to the White House, the splendor of the choices of the  Obamas own artwork will reign supreme.  Michelle will enjoy the serenity of the art for a few days before taking off to Copenhagen next week to champion Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympics.  Not one, but two paintings depicting Homage to the Square from Josef Albers (1888 - 1976) adorn the walls at the White House on loan from the Hirshorn Collection.  Albers was also a poet. The painting pictured left is Homage to the Square:  Midday and completed sometime between 1954 - 1957. The painting for the Homage series started in 1949.  Like abstract artist Alma Thomas shown above, Josef Albers was also a teacher.  Upon retirements, they both dedicated the remainder of their lives to their art works. (Photo courtesy The Independent)

A definite nod was given to winner of a 2005 Alphonse Fletcher Foundation Fellowship Glenn Ligon (1960 -) who painted Black Like Me #2  (1992) who is just a year younger than the president.  Again, continuity reaches through the Obama art pieces as Ligon like Albers uses words and paints in acrylic on canvas.  Ligon who is openly gay and an African American from New York has juxtaposed family albums with old school gay porn in one piece.  It is part of the art that many artists of vintage and antiquity along with their modern counterparts push the edges during their times. 

Glenn Ligon's piece on loan to the First Family.

It's fascinating to review a couple of the choices the Obamas have to look at during their home life.  For traditionalists, there is the Edgar Degas bronze figure of Dancer Putting on Her Stocking, a Cézanne (1839 - 1906), yet they mesh with Jaspers Johns lead relief of Numerals, 0-9. Michelle has a wide range of tastes and its reflected in the art selection and her personal style that is not totally dependent on the old masters.  Another voice in the selection of modern and abstract art pieces is the Obama interior designer, Michael Smith of Santa Monica who also worked with the White House curator William Allman.

Another young talented but terribly depressed artist met an untimely death by suicide.  In fifteen years Nicolas de Staël (1914 -1955) produced over a thousand paintings including many abstract landscapes. This painting is entitled Nice completed in 1954.

Gorgeous Green Room in Silk

First Lady Mamie Eisenhower (blue dress) with guests in the Truman version of the Green Room.

Moiré patterned silk covers the walls of the salon, Green Room. Formerly a daintier yellow, Thomas Jefferson had a green camouflage dropcloth functioning as a rug to catch the crumbs that missed his mouth in what was slated to become a dining room. It is sandwiched between the East Room and officially Michelle Obama's favorite, the Blue Room. Of course, it got a redo into the French Empire style after the Jeffersonian era because the British BBQ'd the entire White House in the War of 1812. Later, Victorian style gave way to Colonial Revival championed by McKim, Mead & White in Teddy Roosevelt's day throughout the room. Laura Bush redid the room in the summer of 2007 and added African American artist, Jacob Lawrence's (1917-2000) The Builders to the collection of art adorning the silk walls. At the time, the White House Acquisition Trust purchased the sixty year old painting, it sold for $2.5 million dollars and is one of only five pieces of art by an African American artist in the formal White House collection. The rule to command a spot as an artist on many of the state room walls (absent presidents) the painter gets the honor after dying and the work has to be more than twenty-five yeas old. Laura Bush with The Builders over her shoulder. She took some flack because the picture is of black men doing hard labor. Photo Courtesy the Washington Post.

Lighter Relieving (1847) Farmyard in Winter (1858) Bear Lake, New Mexico Georgia O'Keefe (1930) from the White House Art Collection located on the walls of the Green Room

Art in the Green Room covers many styles. Holding pride of place is an iconic painting of Benjamin Franklin by David Martin sitting right above the oldest mantel in the White House - circa 1819. Abigail Van Buren's portrait also graces the room. Louisa Adams portrait in oils is a period piece painted by Gilbert Stuart. Scenes form the Mississippi River in Lighter Relieving a Steamboat Aground by George Caleb Bingham in 1847 is above the north door.

The urn and candlesticks on the coffee table in front of the Duncan Phyfe striped sofa are part of the silver pieces from John & Abigail Adams.

In 1961, during Jacqueline Kennedy's interior revamp, she employed a French designer that focused on a Federal style for the Green Room. Fireplace mantels endured switch-outs from a modern for nineteenth century standards circa 1852 to something decades earlier bought by James Monroe. The room suffered though the 1904 white cane furniture and then, seized upon the idea of the fluffiest Turkish chairs to decorate the almost 627 square feet of space. That is more complicated than one might suspect for any designer because there are separate 6 doors to the Green Room as well. Jackie Kennedy believed heartily in themes and located things from important Americans, including Daniel Webster's Duncan Phyfe sofa and an urn Abigail Adams purchased. She hung the watered silk on the walls and varying degrees of that have been there ever since. (Green Room at conclusion of Jackie Kennedy's historic redo)

Pat Nixon's curator tut-tutted the wrong era moldings for the room and had them replaced along with appropriate ceiling medallions. One thing about the White House, do not forget to look up as the ceilings are works of art as well. Even the Oval Office has a ceiling medallion. Draperies in the rooms also have exquisite attention to detail along with carpets be they an Axminster in Jackie's heyday or after the Pat Nixon overhaul. Laura Bush's rendition thirty-six years later is closer to that with a brighter hued color palette.

President Obama waits to be announce into the East Room by aides.

The picture contains the rosier color of the Martha Washington club chairs in front of the WH's oldest mantel with the author of Poor Richard's almanac staring down on President Obama with the late Senator Ted Kennedy, Liberal Lion of the Senate. Photos courtesy of the White House by Peter Souza.

Duncan Phyfe has several pieces to enchant in the room. Scalamandr did the original wreath and butterfly motif that Texas designer Ken Blasingame, the White House preservation authorities and Laura Bush chose. The room has had many incarnations with the Monroes settling on making it the Card Room for their fierce games of whist.

Barbara Bush gives an interview to CBS with her dog, Millie utterly unimpressed.

Before the makeover, the same Eisenhower set up, Jackie Kennedy greets the wives of astronauts in the Green Room

Marta Sahaun de Fox of Mexico with Lara Bush in 2001 before her makeover of the room. Notice the more plain fabric on the chairs. Just over Mrs. Fox's shoulder is a magnificent piece of furniture with all kinds of hidden compartments. Atop it resides the Argand Lamp from the late 18th century.

Each first family finds different functions to hold in the Green Room. The first declaration of war was signed in the green room by President Madison. On February 24, 1862 Willie Lincoln who died upstairs was put in his coffin in this room to keep Mary Lincoln. had The appropriation of Green did not come until the time of John Quincy Adams and his wife (1825-1829) made it the Green Drawing Room while Grace Coolidge thought it the perfect backdrop for some semi-nude art after decreeing the room needed genuine Federal period (tons of eagles) placed in the room that started as a Lodging Room. It's also a room for interesting receptions and entertaining. Eleanor Roosevelt spent time with Amelia Earhart in the Green Room.

The Green Room at the time of Andrew Johnson.

Green Room in time of the 1904 Roosevelt administration. Just outside the doors is the Grand Staircase as it used to open right to the Cross Hall before the Truman renovations. Ghastly choice in furniture & art during the Roosevelt era in my opinion.

Michelle's First White House Christmas Tree

Lynda Bird Johnson Robb celebrating Christmas in the Blue Room with the presidential grandchildren in 1968. Photos courtesy the White House

Plans proceed apace as the Sundbacks of Sheperdstown, West Virginia won the White House Christmas Tree Sweepstakes or better yet, are now known officially as the Grand Champions of the National Christmas Tree Contest. Since 1956, the couple, Eric & Gloria Sundback, now in their eighties, have discouraged deer and fought hard against Mother Nature's more harmful weather whimsies to keep the trees growing strong while some are tall. Their tenacity won spots to have their trees ferried to the White House several times over the decades. Horticulture and forestry experts, they started because they could never find a tree that suited them, so hence their own orchard. Rosalynn Carter & Nancy Reagan also decorated trees from the Sundback farm. Michelle Obama's first Christmas in the White House will see her taking receipt of a Fraser Fir tree from a lifetime of hard work finding better needle retention and increasing branch strength on a horse drawn sleigh. This is the third year in a row the Fraser Fir has beat out the Pines, Spruces and Nobles.

Hillary Clinton had a spectacular tree skirt from 1993 as part of her A Visit from St. Nicholas theme.  The ornaments were from architecture students that was pretty spectacular under this 1995 Fraser Fir. For comparison below, the 1993 Tree which was Hillary's first at the White House.

There are exactly 118 days until Christmas, but the Obama White House must have the up to nineteen foot tree (and no higher) selected from Eric & Gloria Sundback Trees delivered a few days after the presidential turkey pardon on the picturesque sleigh. The tree will have a special topper that cannot brush the ceiling directly below the gilt ceiling medallion to make the holiday tableau wonderful for what will be one of the most highly photographed and trafficked areas for the Obamas first Holiday Season. The velvet ropes around the tree keep people form handling the sometimes delicate or antique ornaments. Pat Nixon sent waves a shock through the choice of an atomic symbol rather than the sedate star normally used. As discussed on White House Christmas in July post on the volunteer elves need three days to trim out the place with decor that follows the theme which remains a closely guarded secret for the Obama White House. Sasha, Malia and Bo will have some definite ideas about what goes on the tree and under the tree. A gingerbread house is in order for this year and perhaps Michelle will ask Roland Mesnier to consider making one and decorating it as he has in the past for Laura Bush.

President Kennedy & Jacqueline Kennedy displayed this official tree as part of the Nutcracker Theme of 1961 inaugurating the idea of a theme. Barbara Bush repeated the Nutcracker Suite theme in 1990. Hillary Clinton took another swing at the popular Nutcracker theme in 1996.

In 2002, Laura Bush had an almost nineteen foot Noble Fir delivered from Hedlund Christmas Trees from the northwest in Elma,Washington. They too were experienced with the rituals of White House Trees having made the trip a few years before after winning the honor to give first lady Hillary Clinton the tree. You have to win the contest from the National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA) first. Next, the tree selected for either the White House or The Vice President's place at One Observatory Circle is a direct result of a full scale competition complete with airline reservations, refrigerated trucks and professional tree handlers. My best analogy is its like the Westminster Dog show for elite, carefully bred living trees with 5 categories and a gnarled tree twist. One American farm gets to enter their top two trees and if selected the winner by a panel of outside judges, that farm is retired from competition for the next three years.

This is the 2007 delivery of a Fraser Fir with Laura Bush as she kicked off the Holiday in the National Parks theme that required an ornament to commemorate each of the 391 National Park Service sites.

The trees take almost a decade to get to the required height, but that may be more accidental than planned. Since 1966 the NCTA has presented the tree. The first lady's team in the East Wing strive to come up with a theme that the Residence staff of exemplary pastry chefs, carpenters and electricians work to implement. In 2008, the Obamas spent Christmas in the Aloha State before changing climates to arrive in an icy DC in time for the girls to start a new term at a new school in their new home city. This is Michelle Obama's maiden Holiday season and it will be interesting to see how many fresh and exciting new ideas she can come up with to celebrate a cherished part of the Season! We shall be eating a few sugar plums with joyous anticipation as snugly in bed as the laptop allows and watching ... closely just like Santa Claus does for the Obamas. It will be so different from 2008 getting the tree.

Malia & Dad go searching for their last tree in Chicago as a family before entering the White House. A new level of entertaining ahead as the White House has not had presidential children to celebrate the Holidays in decades.

Update:  Here is another link explaining a bit more about the White House Holiday planning process that picked up steam in July.

Where to Dine at the White House

The first formal Dinner for Michelle Obama in the State Dining Room for the National Governor's Association February 2009

A formal Dinner in 2007 for Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall planned by Mrs. Laura Bush in the State Dining Room.

Food at the White House is among the best in the world when prepared by the Executive Chef and staff. A bevy of butlers, in formal attire, serve the dishes. Where to eat depends upon the occasion, the number of guests and/or the first family's preferences. Nancy Reagan had TV trays set up in the West Hall or the Solarium for dinners together with the president. Choices for dining in the White House include indoor and outdoor venues and are only limited by a president's or first lady's imagination. There have been garden parties on the roofs of the colonnades - which used to be tree lined, and in the Rose Garden as well as the fabulous Jacqueline Kennedy Garden next to the East Wing. (Mrs. Betty Ford used the Red Room of the White House for a formal dinner rather than as a reception salon photo courtesy Gerald Ford Library)

Michelle serves salad from her Kitchen Garden for the outdoor dining her invited guests from Bancroft Elementary in the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden off the East Colonnade.

Dining arrangement inside the executive mansion have always varied depending on the occupant. Thomas Jefferson dining room was what is now the beautiful silk wall papered Green Room where he actually had a green drop cloth on the floor to catch food crumbs. Jackie Kennedy's very young children needed high chairs. It drove her nuts that the family had to pack up like on a vacation to go down two or three levels to the state floor through the State Dining Room to get settled in the formal Old Family Dining Room to eat a regular meal. A bedroom that mirrored hers, now the presidential master suite, right across the wide hall from hers was turned into a private dining room, The President's Dining Room, complete with antique wall paper. The fact that the wall paper is papered over currently with gold damask puts some historians into catatonic shock. Pat Nixon covered it up too, Rosalyn Carter took it down, Barbara Bush covered it up and there it remains lost to look at while swallowing the morning oatmeal, even with its fearsome battle scenes. (Nancy Reagan & Michelle Obama in the Private Family Dining Room on the 2nd floor, The President's Dining Room of the residence. Note the bland gold damask wall paper. Photo courtesy Samantha Appleton)

Laura Bush used the Ronald Reagan China Service for the 40th anniversary of the NEA in the State Dining Room. Photo courtesy of the White House

The sunny Family Dining Room off the State Dining Room on the State Floor was the scene for a working luncheon with the Prime Minister of Israel, May 2009. President & Prime Minister served first according to protocol. Photo by P. Souza, courtesy the White House

The Congressional Picnic took place on the resilient South Lawn as a luau for Ohana in June

For the height of formality, state dinners and other functions meant to showcase the White House while eating a world class gourmet meal take place in the State Dining Room. It seats, at most, 140 for a sit down state dinner. Just past the State Dining Room, the Family Dining Room this past spring hosted its first Seder attended by the First Family. On the first floor, the Family Dining Room is usually where holidays are celebrated with favorite dishes served at the White House for invited personal guests if the family is in residence on the holiday.

On the third floor (above ground) in the family quarters is the Solarium which has a small kitchenette. Facing the Washington Monument, the light and bright Solarium is where Chelsea celebrated a birthday with friends from school and Ronald Reagan recovered from an assassination attempt. It is also very homey with no signs of the antiques found through the rest of the presidential home. There is also a private dining room for the president off of the oval office. Just downstairs from the Oval in the West Wing complex is the White House Mess where certain invited guests can purchase a hamburger or a steak or see the WH staff eating on the run. The Mess also has a private dining facility for meetings. (On the left is the president's private dining room off the Oval Office where he has private teas or lunch meetings.)

In the West Wing complex, White House Navy Mess paneled in dark wood throughout is where President Obama met with reporters in the private facility. Staff and guests pay for the food ordered off the menu. The ceiling tiles just ruin the look doesn't it? Photo courtesy the White House

Can you name all the dining places to eat in the White House?

Enchanting Red Room

Two hundred years ago, Dolley Madison had the chamber painted yellow for the rollicking gossipy Wednesday night parties she threw next to the president's formal room.  Her famous Gilbert Stuart portrait hangs on the bright twill satin draped walls.  On the first floor of the Executive Mansion closest to the State Dining Room on the West side next to Michelle Obama's favorite Room is the vivid reception room now known as the Red Room. 

Jackie Kennedy gave it panache when she refurbished the room back into the French empire style of the Madison age sans the yellow. It was the last of the rooms touched up during the Clinton presidency in 2000. Laura Bush made use of the room for an intimate Valentine's Dinner with special friends.  First ladies have found a way to make the room regal and a place for entertainment with the style of furnishings and floral arrangements chosen for the room. (President Barack Obama teases his wife in the Red Room.  Photo courtesy Pete Souza WH)

The 1962 Kennedy Restoration

Nancy Reagan in the Red Room

Napoleonic influence in French design spurred the Madison purchases in the room, especially the empire sofa with the gold medallion accented upholstery.  The chandelier has 36 lights in the carved and gilded confection handcrafted in 1805.  In 1997 Hillary Clinton had the rug done as a reproduction of a Savonnerie carpet in the style of the early 19th century. 

The entire effect is pretty inspiring with Angelica Van Buren's portrait as the official hostess and daughter-in-law of the president gains a place of honor in the Red Room showing the bust of the president in her portrait with the actual bust still residing in the Red Room too.  Angelica's portrait over the mantle and Dolley above across from the famous oval painting of Niagara Falls in a gilt frame.

The colors of the room inspired the 2004 Bush White House Christmas card.  The mantle in the room was original to the State Dining Room and now resides in the Red Room.  A superlative American textile manufacturer, Scalamandre Silks provided the silks for the walls and seating pieces and matching straight Napoleonic drapes. The stunning room has uses for quiet reflection or a gateway to larger receptions.

President Obama reads notes before press conference on the silk covered Monroe sofa.

Beautifully illustrating the state floor plan with the open door showing Red Room opens to the State Dining room. Photos courtesy WH, P. Souza
The White House Red Room won the EWR favorite Room poll.

Tiny Clues on Decorating the White House

Nancy Reagan was the last first lady to privately fundraise and spend time restoring and decorating Blair House which is across the street from the White House with the mission being the United States guest home for visiting Heads of State House. If anyone knows it is past time for several upgrades in those adjoining townhomes, it is the latest first lady. C'mon, a bed that needs an added section for the head of state if they are over six feet tall is just not appropriate. Michelle Obama ordered a beautiful antique bed for the White House and had it modified to Queen-sized for a comfortable night's rest. No idea who the lucky Obama is that sleeps in on that one.

Center Hall on residence 2nd floor with lighter walls. White chairs on right appear much like the 1984 during NR's time at White House. Malia is walking towards the Closet Hall that separates her bedroom from Sasha's. The carpet is the same as the one image below showing Mrs. Bush. Above White House Photo 2009

From the Reagan era, the square creamy chair with peach pillow appears much like the chair upholstered in white above. The famed Chinese screen is on the right. From Architectural Digest from 1984.

We do know that Michael Smith of California received official status as Michelle Obama's interior designer in January. Laura Bush had Kenneth Blasingame of Texas and Hillary Clinton used Kaki Hockersmith of Arkansas. Nancy Reagan also had a California designer that indulged her taste for florals and wall paper with florals. Once every decade, Architectural Digest usually does a photo spread including parts of the private residence once significant work is accomplished by a first lady, the curator, the staff and the White House Historical Association after collaborated on significant refurbishing of state rooms.

1984 Refurbishing of Nancy Reagan's dressing room off the master bedroom. This is the room Laura Bush showed Michelle Obama where to look out of the window to see the Oval office. Malia's & Sasha's swing set is just beyond the Oval Office.

This is from the 1962 refurbishing jackie kennedy did to the same dressing room off her master bedroom. Seems reasonable that this will be Michelle's Obama's personal/office space in her version of the room. Photo courtesy Architectural digest.
Though there is a timeless feel to the furniture, it goes through iterations and upholstery makeovers like the couches Laura Bush had in the West Sitting Hall lived previously as President Clinton's Oval Office couches. We have seen very little of what Michelle decorated in the residence publicly, but there are some clues. Pat Nixon started the trend of painting the Center Hall in yellow. Each first lady since has kept it that way with varying shades to make it feel sunny. Though the lighting is bright in 2009 photo, it appears Michelle chose a shade of paint that is a softer creamy buttercup color. She nixed the idea of porcelain plates in the Federal styled built-in shelving units other first ladies used. The piano is across from what prior was the placement of an eighteenth century Chinese screen (above in 1984 AD photo) that dominates that southern wall because there are only the paladium windows at each end of the Center Hall.

Laura Bush in more formal East Sitting Hall with same patterned rug/carpet seen above in Center Hall in 2009 photo. 2005 Photo courtesy Architectural Digest.

Last November, Michelle received a book that catalogs (pictures, dimensions, used by, etc.) the White House's furniture collection for her to choose from to have ready on the first day in the White House. The Art Collection and the offerings from various museums to decorate the residence portion of the White House are also made available. Mrs. Bush placed the donation from the Kennedy family's prominently in the West Sitting Hall where she could see the Monet as soon as she sat down or left the master bedroom. I am looking forward to hearing about some of the art choices the Obamas are making for the residence with such a world class selction to choose among.