Congressional Representatives Introduce New Bill to Protect Public Artworks in Government Buildings
ARTnews reports that on July 14, U.S. Representatives Dina Titus (D-Nevada) and Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) introduced the PRESERVE Act—short for “Protecting Resources and Ensuring Stewardship of Enduring Records of Visual Expression Act”—to safeguard federally commissioned artworks when government buildings are sold or disposed of. The bill would require the General Services Administration (GSA) to identify artworks in buildings deemed “surplus property” and create a committee to oversee their future, with Titus citing the need to protect public access to roughly 26,000 works displayed in museums and federal buildings. Although the bill does not name specific sites, the lawmakers’ statement highlights the Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building, a 1940 Charles Z. Klauder–designed landmark sometimes called the “Sistine Chapel of New Deal Art,” with murals by Philip Guston, Ben Shahn, and Ethel and Jenne Magafan. The article notes that preservation advocates have opposed potential demolition plans associated with President Trump and that Living New Deal endorsed the bill amid the GSA’s “accelerated disposal” program, which listed 45 buildings in spring 2025 (including the Cohen building) and added three more in 2026.
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This story was covered in Blockbusters, Crackdowns, and a Market Under Siege