Edward Bruce | |
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Born | Edward Bright Bruce April 13, 1879 Dover Plains, New York, U.S. |
Died | January 26, 1943 Hollywood, Florida, U.S. | (aged 63)
Occupation | New Deal arts administrator |
Notable work | Public Works of Art Project Section of Painting and Sculpture Treasury Relief Art Project |
Spouse(s) | Margaret Stow (married 1909–1943)[1][2] |
Edward Bright Bruce (April 13, 1879 – January 26, 1943) was the administrator of the New Deal art projects of the United States Department of the Treasury: the Public Works of Art Project (1933–1934), the Section of Painting and Sculpture (1934–1943), and the Treasury Relief Art Project (1935–1938). Ned Bruce was a successful lawyer and entrepreneur before giving up his business career altogether at the age of 43 to become an artist. However, like most artists during the Depression, he found it impossible to make a living making art, and he grudgingly returned to business as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C. In 1932 he joined the Treasury Department, where his expertise in monetary policy and art guided federal efforts to employ workers in the visual arts during the Great Depression in the United States.