On December 16, 2011, Head of Lincoln, a Works Progress Administration (WPA) sculpture, was returned to the U.S. Government. GSA is working with the possessor to find a suitable place for public display of the artwork. The sculpture’s estimated value is $2,600.
In November 2011, the GSA Office of Inspector General (OIG) received information that an auction company in Bloomfield, NJ, had recently auctioned a granite statue of Abraham Lincoln, which was inscribed with the words, "W.P.A. Art Project, N.Y.C". An OIG special agent visited the company and arranged for the statue, which was being sold pursuant to an estate sale, to remain at the auction house until GSA could determine whether it was WPA artwork. The special agent photographed the statue and sent the photos to GSA’s Fine Arts Program Office, which catalogues and conserves WPA artwork.
GSA verified the sculpture as WPA artwork. GSA obtained records from the Archives of American Art, which showed the sculpture’s artist, A. William Mues, participated in the WPA program. GSA also found records and photographs of the sculpture on file at the National Archives. Based on this information, GSA recovered the sculpture and returned it to the care and custody of the U.S. Government.
Head of Lincoln sculpture
