More Than 26,000 Government-Owned Are Artworks Threatened by GSA Cuts

While countries around the world invest in soft power initiatives that center art as a catalyst for development and tools of diplomacy, the Trump administration has dealt yet another blow to the American cultural landscape. This time, however, the repercussions stretch beyond the realm of contemporary art production and trade—already undermined by budget cut and now, most recently, stiff tariffs—to pose a significant threat to the preservation and accessibility of the nation’s existing cultural and artistic heritage.

Last week, several workers in the art and preservation unit of the General Services Administration (GSA) were placed on leave before being informed that their offices and positions would soon be eliminated. According to reporting by the Washington Post, the action affected more than half of the division’s approximately three dozen staff members and led to the shuttering of at least five regional offices. An email signed by GSA administrator Stephen Ehikian and sent on March 3 told recipients that the missive served “as notice that your organizational unit is being abolished along with all positions within the unit—including yours.” The GSA has not responded to requests for comment.

The GSA’s art and preservation division oversees the protection and preservation of more than 26,000 artworks owned by the U.S. government. The collection includes paintings and sculptures by renowned artists like Mark Rothko and Louise Nevelson, contemporary works commissioned through the GSA’s Art in Architecture Program and historical works, like Depression-era Works Progress Administration commissions—the fate of which is now uncertain and potentially imperiled by a lack of oversight and care.

Among the most at-risk pieces are iconic public artworks that have become integral to the visual identity of American cities. In Chicago, Alexander Calder’s 1974 red Flamingo towers in front of the John C. Kluczynski Federal Building. In Washington, D.C., Michael Lantz’s 1942 Man Controlling Trade stands outside the Federal Trade Commission building, and Ben Shahn’s 1942 fresco The Meaning of Social Security—a powerful New Deal-era work—adorns the interior of the Social Security Administration building.

Notably, the elimination of the unit was accompanied by the GSA’s announcement of plans to sell off more than 400 “non-core” federal buildings—roughly 50 percent of its portfolio—and to terminate thousands of leases, some of which house significant artworks. On March 4, just a day after the termination email went out, the GSA published a list of the properties it intended to sell, only to delete it soon after as the situation unfolded. Under the title Non-core property list (Coming soon), the GSA’s website now states that it is “identifying buildings and facilities that are not core to government operations, or non-core properties, for disposal,” adding that “selling ensures that taxpayer dollars are no longer spent on vacant or underutilized federal spaces,” and that “disposing of these assets helps eliminate costly maintenance and allows us to reinvest in high-quality work environments that support agency missions.”

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Many of the properties included in the list carry significant cultural and historical weight—especially in a country with as young a history and heritage as the United States. Among them is the Robert C. Weaver Federal Building, the headquarters of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, designed by Marcel Breuer. It stands as one of the most prominent applications of brutalism in a federal building, conceived by one of the most influential American naturalized architects of the last century. While brutalism is enjoying renewed cultural relevance—thanks in part to the Oscar-winning film The Brutalist—the GSA’s decision to target the structure aligns with the Trump administration’s reinstatement of the 2020 memorandum Promoting Beautiful Federal Civic Architecture, which mandates the use of a “classical style” that “commands public admiration” while discouraging brutalist and other “modern” tendencies often explored by American architects.

The list also includes the Paul D. Wellstone Federal Building in Minneapolis, Minnesota—a former post office turned federal site, notable for its two-story Greek Corinthian columns encircling the façade—and the U.S. Custom House in Philadelphia, an Art Nouveau landmark that merges classical and neoclassical influences. Sculpted eagles and urns decorate its upper corners, and its interior features a soaring terra cotta lantern modeled after an ancient one from Rhodes, Greece.

Concerns are mounting—especially around the frescos and commissions in these buildings, as well as the collections and archives stored on-site. Many of the artworks now endangered were created as part of New Deal art programs under an administration that embedded art within its strategy to jumpstart the economy and provide opportunity. These pieces were designed to inspire hope and resilience, echoing Roosevelt’s belief that economic recovery required a parallel cultural revival to shape American identity and strengthen its image abroad.

Organizations such as the Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) swiftly condemned the GSA’s actions, calling for immediate steps to protect, secure and responsibly steward these cultural assets. The abrupt layoffs and terminations have also jeopardized a series of already-planned preservation efforts and artist commissions—all of which are now suspended indefinitely.

“These historic artworks are part of America’s cultural heritage and patrimony, and they must be preserved and maintained,” said Julie Trébault, ARC’s executive director, in a statement. “The administration’s abrupt decision to terminate and indefinitely suspend dozens of fine arts and preservation workers not only jeopardizes the livelihoods of those dedicated to safeguarding these works but also places irreplaceable pieces of our national heritage at risk.”

Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s early moves have included deep cuts to museum programs, particularly those tied to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. In response to the sudden withdrawal of funding, the Smithsonian Institution announced the closure of its Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The National Gallery of Art similarly shuttered its Office of Belonging and Inclusion. And several exhibitions have already been controversially canceled across museums nationwide. The Art Museum of the Americas—run by the Organization of American States—has called off two upcoming shows due, ostensibly, to the funding freeze: one titled “Before the Americas,” spotlighting Black artists across the Americas, and “Nature’s Wild with Andil Gosine,” which, the curator told Hyperallergic, wasn’t actually funded with federal dollars.

The loss of artworks and the cancellation of exhibitions represents more than an aesthetic or cultural wound—it signifies a severing of American history and identity. Without grounding in heritage or investment in the present and future of diverse cultural production, building a more equitable and successful future becomes not only more difficult but also more uncertain.