Thanks to a new online collection, researchers, historians, students, and art lovers can now search the U.S. General Services Administration‘s (GSA) collection of over 26,000 pieces including paintings, sculptures, and video installations online. The Fine Arts Collection website allows users to find works by their favorite artists, search galleries, or discover pieces housed in their state.
“No one has seen all of these works in person, but now we have the opportunity to understand the breadth of the collection. This site brings it all together for the first time and provides a portrait of America as seen by its artists,” Jennifer Gibson, director of GSA’s Art in Architecture and Fine Arts programs, said in a news release.
GSA owns one of the U.S.’s oldest and largest public art collections. The administration has been commissioning and preserving works by American artists since its founding in 1949. Signature sculptures, like “Flamingo” by Alexander Calder (above) and “Kites” by Jacob Hashimoto, are scattered throughout the country, while paintings and murals created during the Great Depression adorn post offices, courthouses, and federal buildings. The collection serves as a reminder of the important tradition of individual creative expression, according to the GSA.