This industrial scene previously hung in the U.S. Steel plant in Fairfield, Alabama, and was given to the Museum in 1980. Signed “Gerhardt,” research has not yet revealed the identity of the artist. The Louisiana artist Karl Gerhardt (1853-1940) is the only documented artist with that surname working in 1934. However, he was primarily known as a sculptor, and the style of this painting does not correspond with the few extant paintings in Karl Gerhardt’s hand.
In December of 1933, in an effort to employ artists, the U.S. federal government launched the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) as part of the New Deal. The program lasted until June of 1934, culminating in an exhibition of PWAP works at Washington’s Corcoran Gallery of Art. Many of the works in that exhibition were scenes of industry, created in the same bold Social Realist style found in this work. While the evidence is circumstantial, further research may tell us whether or not this work—dated 1934—was created under the auspices of the PWAP.
