Art in Federal Courthouses

Many artworks in the GSA Fine Arts Collection are installed in federal courthouses. These civic buildings, whether constructed during the Beaux Arts period or the present day, symbolize the strength and stability of the nation and the American judicial system. Equally significant are the artworks that were commissioned for these stately buildings. The artworks illustrate the broad spectrum of artistic creativity that has flourished in the United States.

During the Beaux Arts period at the turn of the twentieth century, artists sought inspiration from classical antiquity and the Italian Renaissance. Popular themes included traditional depictions of Justice and other allegorical subjects, such as Daniel Chester French's Commerce and Jurisprudence, two massive limestone sculptures for the Howard M. Metzenbaum U.S. Courthouse in Cleveland, Ohio. The next major period of federal art patronage occurred under President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal programs of the 1930s and early 1940s. During that era, artists often portrayed everyday scenes of America, its people, and its diverse landscape. One example is a painting by Peter Blume for the federal courthouse in Rome, Georgia. Titled The Two Rivers, it depicts a small town set in the rolling hills, its quaint buildings in the foreground contrast with the modern factory in the background.

Since the 1960s, the artworks commissioned for federal courthouses include a broader range of artistic media, subject matter and styles. Today, artists often work with new or nontraditional materials, such as electronic media or landscape elements like trees and crushed stone. While these artists, like their predecessors, continue to seek inspiration from the role of the federal judiciary, the beauty of regional landscapes, and diverse aspects of American culture, some have chosen to present their work in less literal, more abstract styles. A prime example of this is Leo Villareal's Sky for the Albert Armendariz, Sr. U.S. Courthouse in El Paso, Texas, which uses computer-programmed LEDs to evoke the brilliant, ever-changing sky of the American Southwest.