In March 1962, James Webb, Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, suggested that artists be enlisted to document the historic effort to send the first human beings to the moon. John Walker, director of the National Gallery of Art, was among those who applauded the idea, urging that artists be encouraged "…not only to record the physical appearance of the strange new world which space technology is creating, but to edit, select and probe for the inner meaning and emotional impact of events which may change the destiny of our race."

Working together, James Dean, a young artist employed by the NASA Public Affairs office, and Dr. H. Lester Cooke, curator of paintings at the National Gallery of Art, created a program that dispatched artists to NASA facilities with an invitation to paint whatever interested them. The result was an extraordinary collection of works of art proving, as one observer noted, "that America produced not only scientists and engineers capable of shaping the destiny of our age, but also artists worthy to keep them company." Transferred to the National Air and Space Museum in 1975, the NASA art collection remains one of the most important elements of what has become perhaps the world's finest collection of aerospace themed art.

Display Status

This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.

Object Details

Date

1964

Country of Origin

United States of America

Type

ART-Paintings

Medium

Painting, Watercolor on Paper

Artist

Hugh Laidman

Physical Description

Watercolor painting on paper. Housing Moved by Youngblood and Son. A farmhouse is being lifted to be moved during construction of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Six figures are standing in the center across the road, done in various shades of red, brown, and white. The two figures on the right seem to blend into the multicolored ground on the lower right. A yellow vehicle is on the left of the house. The farmhouse is strongly lit by the sun, and the sky is distinctly divided into a grey area on top and a blue area on the bottom.

Dimensions

2-D - Unframed (H x W) (Overall): 45.2 × 59.2cm (1 ft. 5 13/16 in. × 1 ft. 11 5/16 in.)

Inventory Number

A19760490000

Credit Line

Transferred from the National Aeronuatics and Space Administration

Data Source

National Air and Space Museum

Restrictions & Rights

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