US Army Art Collection...Unseen

Bikewer · 15th November 2009, 08:19 AM

CBS' Sunday Morning show had a segment this morning on the large collection of art belonging to the the US Army. It is housed in the basement of an office building in Washington, unseen by the general public.
This due to the lack of any sort of museum or facility for putting the material on display.

The pieces shown in the CBS segment were amazing. Powerful, wrenching scenes of soldiers in combat and in everyday activities, ranging from Nazi propaganda pieces (and US-commissioned patriotic posters as well...) to front-line sketches and more formal works depicting famous battles.

It's a damn shame there is no venue for putting these historical pieces on display.

I think I'll be writing my sundry congresspersons.....

Unfortunately, there's no link for the video of the segment or any pics up.. Here's the link to the Sunday Morning page where I presume you can watch the whole show:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/1998/...ain;contentAux

kookbreaker · 15th November 2009, 04:56 PM

So this building won't be able to do anything with it once built?

http://www.armyhistory.org/ahf.aspx?pgID=868

Bikewer · 15th November 2009, 08:05 PM

Sounds like a great idea (no mention of this project was made during the segment), but I note it's in the "soliciting donations" stage only....

Matthew Ellard · 16th November 2009, 12:00 AM

Originally Posted by Bikewer

CBS' Sunday Morning show had a segment this morning on the large collection of art belonging to the the US Army. It is housed in the basement of an office building in Washington, unseen by the general public.

My father was an Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) officer. The RAAF has its bases ( that can reach Indonesia's main cities) in the middle of our aboriginal settlements. The RAAF also has one of the world's best collections of aboriginal art. The problem is how they acquired it. They exchanged traditional art for alcohol in the 60s and 70's. They should open a museum but it might be more ethical to give it all back using an RAAF trust to open a museum.

I wonder what the RMCP ( Royal Canadian Mounted Police) are sitting on. The Sth African Defence Forces? Even the Vietnamese Defence Forces probably has a fascinating collection. I have no problem with military museums showing art.

15th November 2009, 08:19 AM	#1
Bikewer Philosopher Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: St. Louis, Mo. Posts: 5,249	US Army Art Collection...Unseen CBS' Sunday Morning show had a segment this morning on the large collection of art belonging to the the US Army. It is housed in the basement of an office building in Washington, unseen by the general public. This due to the lack of any sort of museum or facility for putting the material on display. The pieces shown in the CBS segment were amazing. Powerful, wrenching scenes of soldiers in combat and in everyday activities, ranging from Nazi propaganda pieces (and US-commissioned patriotic posters as well...) to front-line sketches and more formal works depicting famous battles. It's a damn shame there is no venue for putting these historical pieces on display. I think I'll be writing my sundry congresspersons..... Unfortunately, there's no link for the video of the segment or any pics up.. Here's the link to the Sunday Morning page where I presume you can watch the whole show: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/1998/...ain;contentAux

15th November 2009, 04:56 PM	#2
kookbreaker Evil Fokker Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 6,723	So this building won't be able to do anything with it once built? http://www.armyhistory.org/ahf.aspx?pgID=868
kookbreaker Evil Fokker Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 6,723	__________________ My Webstore of Telescopes, Science Fun, and More: Spectrum Scientifics! Spectrum Scientifics Store Blog!

16th November 2009, 12:00 AM	#4
Matthew Ellard Thinker Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 127	Originally Posted by Bikewer CBS' Sunday Morning show had a segment this morning on the large collection of art belonging to the the US Army. It is housed in the basement of an office building in Washington, unseen by the general public. My father was an Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) officer. The RAAF has its bases ( that can reach Indonesia's main cities) in the middle of our aboriginal settlements. The RAAF also has one of the world's best collections of aboriginal art. The problem is how they acquired it. They exchanged traditional art for alcohol in the 60s and 70's. They should open a museum but it might be more ethical to give it all back using an RAAF trust to open a museum. I wonder what the RMCP ( Royal Canadian Mounted Police) are sitting on. The Sth African Defence Forces? Even the Vietnamese Defence Forces probably has a fascinating collection. I have no problem with military museums showing art.
Matthew Ellard Thinker Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 127

15th November 2009, 08:05 PM	#3
Bikewer Philosopher Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: St. Louis, Mo. Posts: 5,249	Sounds like a great idea (no mention of this project was made during the segment), but I note it's in the "soliciting donations" stage only....