www.privateairny.com Private Air | Spring 2022
78
ART
THE ART OF WORK
Helicline Fine Art in New York shines a light on a forgotten era
of American art, with an exhibition of work that celebrates the
impact of the Works Progress Administration on artists.
Words By: Mandi Keighran
F
rom a riotously colorful New York
City subway rush-hour scene to a
contemplative moment captured
in a barbershop and the joyfully
jumbled composition of an open cellar on a
sidewalk, a new exhibition of early 20th-
century paintings and sculptures evokes the
simple, everyday moments of a bygone era.
e exhibition—American Art: e WPA Era
and Beyond—is currently on show online and
by appointment at the Helicline Fine Art
private gallery in Midtown Manhattan,
New York.
e Works Progress Administration was
established by President Roosevelt in 1935,
in the midst of the Great Depression—and
the ambitious employment program created
jobs carrying out public works projects for
around 8.5 million Americans over eight
years. While its role in providing relief
from unemployment is well documented,
its impact on the art world, largely through
paid commissions for public artwork, is less
recognized.
"e WPA period is off the radar of most
museum curators and is one the least
popular periods of American art today,"
explains Keith Sherman, who founded
Helicline Fine Art with Roy Goldberg in
Cecil Bell (1906 – 1970)
Under the El
18 x 24 inches
Oil on Canvas
Signed and dated 1943 lower right and on the stretcher
Ralph Fasanella (1914-1997)
Victory and After
26 1/2 x 36 inches
Gouache on paper
Signed, titled and dated 1945 lower left
