Recently on Ebay, a copy of a December 1937 Liberty magazine was offered for sale. We received a number of calls and emails about it, as the cover features a full color reproduction of an oil portrait of President Franklin D. Roosevelt by Ben. As far it is known, this is the only magazine cover Ben painted in his seven-decade career.
Ben and Rae both admired Roosevelt and the work of his administration. Although Ben never took part in any WPA programs, he recognized their value.
We do have this original painting in the Studio’s collection. An unrelated charcoal portrait of FDR is in a private collection.
In the Main Studio during our current exhibition, ON THE ROAD: Ben Solowey’s American Landscapes, there is a wonderful conté crayon portrait of John F. Kennedy that drew out of admiration for late president .
[…] Learn more about the Roosevelt portrait in The Letter. Come to the Studio to learn the stories of how the other politicians came to be immortalized by Ben Solowey. […]