Object Details
Artist
Saul Kovner, born Russia 1904-died North Hollywood, CA 1981
Luce Center Label
Saul Kovner’s Tompkins Park, N.Y. City was painted in 1934, under the patronage of the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), a New Deal program created by the federal government to offer work and financial support to America’s artists during the Great Depression. The public park, situated in the Alphabet City section of Manhattan’s East Village, is named in honor of Daniel D. Tompkins (1774-1825), who served as governor of New York from 1807 to 1817 and as vice president of the United States under James Monroe from 1817 to 1825. The PWAP encouraged their commissioned artists to capture “the American Scene,” and in this painting Kovner conveys strong messages of community spirit and American values. Children and adults enjoy winter in the park, building snowmen and playing with sleds; the presence of the Stars and Stripes in the center of the work places this as a uniquely American scene.
Credit Line
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum acquisition
Date
1934
Object number
1980.48
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Painting
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
21 x 24 in. (53.3 x 61.0 cm)
See more items in
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department
Painting and Sculpture
On View
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center, 4th Floor, 36B
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center, 4th Floor
Data Source
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Topic
Figure group
Cityscape\New York\New York
Landscape\weather\snow
Recreation\sport and play\sledding
New Deal\Public Works of Art Project\New York City
Architecture Exterior\domestic\apartment
Link to Original Record
Record ID
saam_1980.48