What Kind of Art Do the Obamas Want in the White House?

The Obamas have put out a call to galleries and museums to borrow modern American art for the White House, the Wall Street Journal reports.

"If the old White House had portraits of men in powdered wigs... the Obamas love punchy colorful abstracts, we're talking big paintings with huge swirling colors," arts reporter Kelly Crow says in a video report posted yesterday. Artists mentioned: Ed Ruscha, Richard Diebenkorn, and Alma Thomas.

In their article, Ms. Crow and colleague Amy Chozick assert "The overhaul is an important event for the art market." A New York artist whose work is being considered for hanging in the White House in Glenn Ligon. A New York collector who has said he is happy to loan anything in his collection is E.T. Williams. (Meanwhile, Robin Cembalest examines what museums are doing to stay fit for the future in an article in ArtNews.)

Here's WSJ the article, and here's the WSJ video report: