Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies - FAPE

Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies - FAPE FAPE is the the public-private
partnership dedicated to providing permanent works of American art for U.S. embassies worldwide. FAPE contributes to the U.S.

Department of State's mission of cultural diplomacy by partnering with American artists whose gifts encourage cross-cultural understanding within the diplomatic community and the international public. FAPE fulfills its mission through site-specific commissions, an original print collection, preservation projects, and other arts initiatives. All artworks commissioned or placed by FAPE are gifts, re

presenting generosity among some of the country's greatest artists. As of 2022, FAPE's donations include permanent works by more than 240 preeminent American artists placed in more than 140 countries.

Congratulations to Claudia Pettway and Loretta Bennett on their inspiring Ralph Lauren x Gee’s Bend collaboration as par...
08/06/2026

Congratulations to Claudia Pettway and Loretta Bennett on their inspiring Ralph Lauren x Gee’s Bend collaboration as part of the program. We’re thrilled to see this remarkable initiative bring even greater recognition to these artists and the enduring legacy of the Gee’s Bend quilting community.

In 2007, Bennett, along with fellow Gee’s Bend artists Mary Lee Bendolph, Louisiana Bendolph, and Loretta Pettway, generously created works for FAPE’s Original Print Collection. Today, these prints hang in U.S. embassies around the world, introducing international audiences to their powerful and distinctly American artistic tradition.

Image one, clockwise from top left:

Loretta Bennett, “Yellow Jack”, 2006, Gift of the artist and Paulson Fontaine Press

Loretta Pettway, “Bricklayer”, 2007, Gift of the artist and Paulson Fontaine Press

Mary Lee Bendolph, “Down the Road”, 2006, Gift of the artist and Paulson Fontaine Press

Louisiana Bendolph, “Still have Joy/Tears of Pride”, 2007, Gift of the artist and Paulson Fontaine Press

Image two:
Gee’s Bend artists with Diana Negroponte, former Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte, former Under Secretary of State for Management Henrietta Ford, and FAPE Chairman Jo Carole Lauder.

Please join us in wishing Wendy Luers, FAPE Founder and President Emerita, a very happy birthday!Forty years ago, alongs...
07/16/2026

Please join us in wishing Wendy Luers, FAPE Founder and President Emerita, a very happy birthday!

Forty years ago, alongside Leonore Annenberg, Lee Kimche McGrath and Carol Price, Wendy founded FAPE, an organization dedicated to celebrating American artists and advancing our nation’s cultural diplomacy efforts around the world. Thanks to her extraordinary vision and leadership, FAPE has raised more than $215 million in art and monetary contributions.

Wendy and her husband, Bill, were instrumental in establishing FAPE’s Original Print Collection in 1989, when they got artist Frank Stella to contribute “The Symphony” in an edition large enough for a print to be sent to every U.S. embassy.

Wendy remains deeply engaged with FAPE and we are endlessly grateful for her steadfast support. Nothing would be possible without her.

Happy Birthday, Wendy!

Images:
FAPE Founding Director Lee Kimche McGrath; Founding Chairman Leonore Annenberg; former Secretary of State George Shultz; and Founder and President Emerita Wendy Luers

FAPE Founder and President Emerita Wendy Luers; FAPE President Emerita Ann Gund; artist Ellsworth Kelly; artist Odili Donald Odita; artist Frank Stella; FAPE Chairman Jo Carole Lauder; artist Julie Mehretu; FAPE Professional Fine Arts Committee Chairman Robert Storr; and artist Lynda Benglis

Francesca Amfitheatrof, Ben Curwin, Ilaria Vigano-Francis, FAPE President Emerita Wendy Luers, Mariana Cook, Slavka Glaser, William F. Luers, and Ambassador William H. Luers (front)

Jill Cooper Udall, FAPE Founder and President Emerita Wendy W. Luers, and Melissa Chiu, Director of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and a member of FAPE’s Professional Fine Arts Committee.

In celebration of “AMERICA ABROAD: Art, Architecture, and Diplomacy: Works from the FAPE Collection” at the Onera Founda...
07/15/2026

In celebration of “AMERICA ABROAD: Art, Architecture, and Diplomacy: Works from the FAPE Collection” at the Onera Foundation in New Canaan, CT. FAPE is pleased to spotlight David B. Peterson, FAPE Board member and Founder of Onera. David has been a Board member of FAPE since 2024.

David B. Peterson is the Founder of the Onera Foundation and CEO of the Onera Group. He has spent the majority of his career in investment banking at Rothschild, Citibank, and Salomon Brothers. Peterson is the Board Chair of the Harlem Academy school and serves on the Advisory Council of the Glass House, a National Trust Historic Site in New Canaan, Connecticut. He holds a B.A. from Darthmouth College, an M.B.A. from New York University, and an M.S. in Historic Preservation from the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation at Columbia University.

Peterson is the author of “US Embassies of the Cold War: The Architecture of Democracy, Diplomacy and Defense”. The large-format, photo driven book features the fourteen most significant midcentury modern American embassies built during the Cold War. Using a wealth of previously unpublished archival images, this book is an exploration of the surprising relationship between architecture and geopolitics during one of the most dangerous periods in the global battle of democracy vs. communism.

The Onera Foundation is free and open to the public Wednesday-Saturday from 12:00 PM-5:00 PM.

Images:

David B. Peterson, FAPE Director Jennifer Duncan, Executive Director of the Onera Foundation Laurence Lafforgue, and FAPE Professional Fine Arts Committee member Peter Reed. Photo by Kim Crichlow

David B. Peterson. Photo by Kim Crichlow

In celebration of “AMERICA ABROAD: Art, Architecture, and Diplomacy: Works from the FAPE Collection” at the Onera Founda...
07/09/2026

In celebration of “AMERICA ABROAD: Art, Architecture, and Diplomacy: Works from the FAPE Collection” at the Onera Foundation in New Canaan, CT. FAPE is pleased to spotlight the co-curators Laurence Lafforgue, Executive Director of the Onera Foundation, and Peter Reed, FAPE Professional Fine Arts Committee member. We were honored to collaborate with them on this project, whose vision and expertise helped bring it to life.

Laurence Lafforgue leads the expansion of Onera Foundation’s strategic initiatives. Ms. Lafforgue has managed major exhibitions and public programs at the intersection of art and preservation as a partner at Otero-Pailos Studio. Previously, she ran her own publishing company, collaborating with leading artists on the production and distribution of limited-edition prints. As a senior partner at Ogilvy, she advised Fortune 500 companies and leading cultural institutions on their digital strategies.

She serves on the advisory board of the DAG Foundation, a grant-making, artist-endowed foundation, and is a member of ArtTable, the leading professional organization for women in the arts in the United States.

Ms. Lafforgue holds a B.A. and an M.B.A. from Paris Dauphine University and earned a certification from the Aspen Institute’s Artist-Endowed Foundation Initiative.

Peter Reed was Senior Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs at The Museum of Modern Art from 2005-2020. Previously, he was Curator in the Department of Architecture and Design where he had been a member of the curatorial staff since 1992. He organized numerous exhibitions at MoMA and contributed to publications on architects including Alvar Aalto, Philip Johnson, Louis Kahn, and Frank Lloyd Wright among others. Reed holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in art history from the University of Pennsylvania. Reed also serves on the Professional Fine Arts Committee of FAPE.

The Onera Foundation is free and open to the public Wednesday-Saturday from 12:00 PM–5:00 PM.

Images:

Photo by Simon Cherry

Laurence Lafforgue

Peter Reed

07/04/2026

FAPE wishes everyone a Happy July 4th!

We are thrilled to join our fellow Americans in celebrating the 250th anniversary of our nation by sharing messages from our Board, artists, members, and friends throughout the day. Happy Birthday America!

To watch the full video, please click the link in our bio.

FAPE extends its sincere gratitude to the Irene and Richard Frary Gallery and the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Cen...
06/17/2026

FAPE extends its sincere gratitude to the Irene and Richard Frary Gallery and the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center for their partnership in presenting “Artistic Generosity and the American Artist Abroad” in Washington, D.C. We were honored to collaborate on this special exhibition.

We are incredibly grateful to Caitlin Berry, Director of the Frary Gallery, for bringing this project to life. It has been a privilege to share our mission with the Hopkins Bloomberg Center community, led by Cybele Bjorklund, Executive Director, and to celebrate the remarkable artists who have contributed to FAPE and our nation’s cultural diplomacy efforts.

None of this would have been possible without the vision, guidance, and expertise of FAPE Board member and President of the Ellsworth Kelly Foundation, Jack Shear, who curated the exhibition. We are endlessly grateful for his dedication to our program.

In addition to the artists featured in our Original Print, Photography, and Site-Specific Collections, as well as our official sponsor Bank of America, we wish to send a special thanks to those who lent works for this exhibition: Naomi Antonakos and the Stephen Antonakos Studio LLC; Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution; Sam Gilliam Foundation; The Estate of Ron Gorchov; Don Gummer; Emilia Kabakov and the Ilya and Emilia Kabakov Art Foundation; The Estate of Sol LeWitt; Odili Donald Odita; Paula Cooper Gallery; Martin Puryear; Eugene Robinson; Vito Schnabel Gallery; Joel Shapiro and Ellen Phelan Foundation; and The Estate of Frank Stella.

Didn’t get a chance to see the show? “Artistic Generosity and the American Artist Abroad” remains available to explore through FAPE’s digital guide on Bloomberg Connects. To access, please click the link in our bio.

Happy Flag Day!Each year on June 14th, Flag Day commemorates the adoption of the American flag. It was on this day in 17...
06/14/2026

Happy Flag Day!

Each year on June 14th, Flag Day commemorates the adoption of the American flag. It was on this day in 1777 that the Continental Congress declared the “Stars and Stripes” the official symbol of the United States.

Image:

Diana Walker, “Close-up of World War I veteran Joseph Ambrose holding the folded American flag of his fallen son during the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C., November 13, 1982,” 2025. Gift of the artist

The Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies mourns the loss of David Hockney. His colorful figurative paintings...
06/14/2026

The Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies mourns the loss of David Hockney. His colorful figurative paintings were both conservative and iconoclastic, defying the dominant abstract schools of the mid-20th century.

FAPE was honored to contribute the artist’s etching, “My Pool and Terrace”, to the U.S. Embassy in London in 2017, thanks to a generous gift from Laura-Lee W. Wood.

David’s works are invaluable treasures of art history. We send our deepest condolences to his family at this difficult time, including his partner, Jean-Pierre Gonçalves de Lima, and his brothers Philip and John.

Images:
David Hockney in the 1950s. Photo by Paul Popper/Popperfoto, Image courtesy of “The New York Times”

David Hockney, “My Pool and Terrace”, 1983. Gift of Mrs. Laura-Lee W. Wood

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