“IT'S CALLED GOSSIP AND OF COURSE IT'S AN OBSESSION OF MINE”

Confirming their reputation for stylishness and modernity, Barack and Michelle Obama are searching for paintings by living artists to hang in their private quarters in the White House.The Sunday Times has learnt that the works that have caught their eye include paintings by Jasper Johns, best known for his iconic 1950s images of the American flag, and Ed Ruscha, one of the originators of pop art, which belong to the National Gallery in Washington. The final selection has not been made yet, but paintings by the late Robert Rauschenberg, a sometime lover of Jasper Johns who died aged 82 last year, are also under consideration.

The Times
Feb 21 2009