My Neighbor, Al
1940
20th century
60 1/4 in. x 40 1/8 in. (153.04 cm x 101.92 cm)
George Biddle,
American,
(1885–1973)
Object Type:
Paintings
Creation Place:
North America, United States
Medium and Support:
Oil on canvas
Credit Line:
Carleton College Art Collection, Encyclopedia Britannica Collection, gift of William Benton, Class of 1921, Trustee 1948-1961
Accession Number:
1997.254
George Biddle, an accomplished artist, is however best known for his role in the federal arts projects of the 1930s. Inspired by a visit to muralist Diego Rivera in Mexico, he proposed to President Franklin D. Roosevelt a program to create "living monuments" by American artists. The Public Works of Art Project was launched in 1933, through which the government hired painters and sculpturs to decorate public buildings.