White House Unveils Work by Black Artist

Ending a two-year search, President Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton unveiled the first painting by a black American to become a permanent part of the White House collection. The 1885 oil by Henry Ossawa Tanner is titled “Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City” and will be placed in the Green Room. “Each person who sees this magnificent painting will be reminded that talent always has the power to transcend prejudice,” said Mrs. Clinton, who thanked Edward Bell, who had come to the White House on a tour and noticed that the collection lacked a painting by a black artist. Bell wrote a letter to the president.