Manhattan 1931
New York in the early 20th century was suffering from the Great Depression, but also celebrating an artistic revolution. This revolution arose from the economic depression as the American government commissioned a number of artists to complete public artworks to support local artistic activity and provide encouragement to the community. The Federal Art Project (FAP) supported iconic artists such as Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning before their work could earn them income.
The Museum of Modern Art, located in Midtown Manhattan exhibited a number of the FAP works. It opened nine days after the Wall Street Crash, and helped play a major role in developing and collecting the modern art produced at the time. Incidentally, it was also the museum which held Hopper’s first large-scale exhibition in 1933.
Federal Art Project
