The official “inauguration painting” displayed at a reception inside the US Capitol today came weighted with layered symbolism. The deft choice spoke of a new administration with an insightful understanding of art’s potential power.
Apparently chosen by Jill Biden, the incoming first lady, and Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) to commemorate the swearing-in ceremony, it was painted in 1859 by prominent Black artist Robert S. Duncanson (1821-1872). The painting is in the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, up the street and around the corner from the Capitol.
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