United for a Better World
On this day in 1945, representatives from fifty countries signed the United Nations Charter.
Artist Harold Weston was inspired to create the series of oil paintings "Building the United Nations" when he saw the tremendous steelwork rising for its headquarters in New York. Believing that everyone should in some way actively support the UN, Weston undertook this project entirely on his own; he believed his art could convey the excitement and significance of this step toward international cooperation.
Today's artwork is dated July 1950. Using the engineer's schedule, Weston determined in advance what phases of construction he wanted to use. Then he made on-the-spot pencil sketches and color notations, taking one or two days for each panel. Although the sketches were made on the ground, most of the paintings are from imaginary positions in the air.
The Smithsonian American Art Museum recently pursued its own brand of cultural diplomacy. We partnered with museums in Canada and Mexico to produce a virtual exhibition Panoramas: The North American Landscape in Art.
Source: Mary Ellen Thomas. "Building the United Nations." Harvard Alumni Bulletin (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University, February 2, 1957).
Pictured: Harold Weston, 1894–1972, Building the United Nations, #2—Ramp over F.D.R. Drive, 1950, oil, 42 1/8 x 36 1/8 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Committee of the Weston United Nations Paintings.
On this day in 1945, representatives from fifty countries signed the United Nations Charter.
Artist Harold Weston was inspired to create the series of oil paintings "Building the United Nations" when he saw the tremendous steelwork rising for its headquarters in New York. Believing that everyone should in some way actively support the UN, Weston undertook this project entirely on his own; he believed his art could convey the excitement and significance of this step toward international cooperation.