Name/Title
Frank, Bena Virginia (1898-1991) "Still Life in a Window"Entry/Object ID
2025.900.FA18158Tags
WatercolorDescription
This painting appears to be a collection of familiar domestic objects: a bowl of fruit and a plant rest upon a deep window sill; another plant is visible outdoors. But is everything in its place? Here, plants on either side of a glass window or glass serving dish point sharply in all directions. Fossil-fueled heat from a radiator is another material connection across the boundaries of inside and outside.Collection
Mt. Morris TB Hospital FAP CollectionMade/Created
Artist
Frank, Bena VirginiaDate made
1935 - 1940Condition
Overall Condition
GoodDate Examined
Jul 25, 2025Notes
2 cracks middle left edge/middle center, 2 holes on back upper left, pencil marks/paint splattering lower right edge/upper right corner and lower left edge/lower halfProvenance
Provenance Detail
Created under the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Art Project (1930s–1940s), this collection of easel paintings was originally installed at the Mount Morris Tuberculosis Sanitorium in Livingston County, New York. Following the sanitorium’s closure in 1970, the artworks were abandoned and remained in storage until their rediscovery decades later. Now preserved and exhibited by the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts (GVCA), the collection is housed at the New Deal Museum in Mount Morris. Current efforts include digitization, high-resolution photography, and the creation of an online archive to ensure long-term public access and research availability.General Notes
Note Type
Cataloging NoteNote
See the entry titled 'New Deal Collection' for supporting documents, and general historic and research information.
