W.P.A. Theater
Datec. 1935
Artist
Helen Farr Sloan
American painter, 1911–2005
MediumOil on board
Dimensions21 1/2 × 23 1/2 in. (54.6 × 59.7 cm)
frame: 25 5/8 × 27 5/8 in. (65.1 × 70.2 cm)
frame: 25 5/8 × 27 5/8 in. (65.1 × 70.2 cm)
Credit LineGift of Kraushaar Galleries in honor of Jerome K. Grossman and his friendship to Helen Farr Sloan, 2007
Object number2007-29
On View
Not on viewClassificationsPAINTING
Label TextFederal Theater productions like the one depicted by Helen Farr Sloan cultivated new theater audiences during the height of the Great Depression by offering free and heavily discounted performances, sometimes in public places. From her vantage point overlooking New York City’s Washington Square, the bright stage lights – like the distant spotlights and the illuminated windows of surrounding buildings - celebrate the spectacle of a city that never sleeps.
