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TheUnited Nations Art Collection is a collective group ofartworks and historic objects donated as gifts to theUnited Nations by its member states, associations, or individuals. These artistic treasures and possessions, mostly in the form of “sculptures,paintings,tapestries andmosaics”, are representative “arts of nations” that are contained and exhibited within the confines of theUnited Nations Headquarters inNew York City, United States, and other duty stations, making the UN and its international territories a "fine small museum".[1][2]
Member states follow a protocol for presenting official gifts to the United Nations.Procedures, speeches, and ceremonies, such as the unveiling of these gifts, are conducted and coordinated by the Protocol and Liaison Service. Ideally, every member nation can only present one offering, and member nations are responsible for the installation of the offered artifacts.[2][3][4]
The official gifts to the United Nations by its member states epitomize the ideals, significance and values of the UN as an international organization.[5]
In 1952, a pair ofFernand Léger murals was installed in theGeneral Assembly Hall.[6]
Also in 1952, theUnited Nations Security Council mural, byPer Krohg, was installed.[citation needed]
In June 1954, theJapanese Peace Bell was presented to the United Nations by the United Nations Association ofJapan. It was cast from coins collected by people from 60 different countries including children, and housed in a structure resembling aShinto shrine, made of cypress wood. The bell is rung twice a year: on the first day of Spring, at the Vernal Equinox; and on 21 September to coincide with the opening of theGeneral Assembly.[7]
In 1956,War and Peace, two paintings by Brazilian artistCandido Portinari, were received by the United Nations as a donation from the Government of Brazil. It does not feature any weapons, but instead features the suffering of victims from war, which illustrates the barbarity of combat. The contrast between the elements of chaos and harmony show how important it is to maintain peace and attempt to end violent conflicts.[citation needed]
In 1959, abronze statue promoting the sloganLet Us Beat Swords into Ploughshares was donated by theSoviet Union to the United Nations. It was sculpted byYevgeny Vuchetich to represent the human wish to end all wars by converting the weapons of death and destruction into peaceful and productive tools that are more beneficial to mankind.[8]
In 1964,Single Form, a sculpture done byBarbara Hepworth as a memorial to the UN Secretary GeneralDag Hammarskjöld after his death in an air crash in Africa in 1961, was donated to the UN by theJacob Blaustein Foundation.[9]
In 1964, a 15-by-12-foot (4.6 by 3.7 m)stained glass window byMarc Chagall entitledPeace was donated to the United Nations by its own staff members and by Chagall himself to commemorateDag Hammarskjöld, who had served asUnited Nations Secretary-General from 1953 until his death in 1961.[10] The stained glass memorial contains numerous symbols representing love and peace themes.[11]
In 1966, a copy of the Nigerian artistBen Enwonwu's sculptureAnyanwu was presented to the United Nations by the permanent representative of Nigeria to the United Nations, ChiefSimeon Adebo, to Secretary-GeneralU Thant. It is a representation of theIgbo mythological figure and earth goddessAni.[12] It is cast from bronze and is 6 feet (1.8 m) in height.[12]
In 1983, then President of ColombiaBelisario Betancur presented a large oil on canvas painting byAlejandro Obregon titledAmanecer en los Andes. The painting is currently exhibited in the second floor of the United Nations General Assembly Building.[13]
In 1985, as a representative of the United States, then first ladyNancy Reagan presented a mosaic to the United Nations to celebrate the organization's 40th anniversary. TheGolden Rule mosaic was a creation ofVenetian artists and was based on a painting byNorman Rockwell. Depicting people of all races, religion, creed and hue, the mosaic imparts the message to "do unto others as you would have them do unto you".[14]
From 1985 until 2009, a life-sizetapestry copy ofPablo Picasso's 1937 painting,Guernica, by Jacqueline de la Baume Dürrbach, was displayed on the wall of theUnited Nations building inNew York City, at the entrance to theSecurity Council room.[15][16][17]
In 1996,Sphere Within Sphere by sculptorArnaldo Pomodoro was presented as a gift to the UN byLamberto Dini, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Italy.[18]
The main entity responsible for the conservation of the collection is the UN Arts Committee.[2] The United Nations is assisted, through a special mandate and regulations, by fundraising groups such as the Maecenas World Patrimony Foundation in this endeavor of preserving these artistic and international heritages.[19] However, about 50 gifts, partly close to dissolution, are stored in the basement; and in some cases, have been so for decades.[20]
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