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Rockwell’s 1943 White House Sketches Enter Public View After $7.25 Million Sale

The privately funded White House Historical Association paid $7.25 million to keep the panels accessible, showcasing new research alongside AI-driven digital interactives as it weighs their permanent placement.

Luke Boorady, of the White House Historical Association, arranges a suite of four interrelated paintings by Norman Rockwell titled, "So You Want to See the President!" at the association's offices Wednesday, June 10, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
Luke Boorady, of the White House Historical Association, arranges a suite of four inter-related paintings by Norman Rockwell, "So You Want to See the President!" at the association's offices Wednesday, June 10, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
Stewart McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Association, displays a newly-acquired suite of four interrelated paintings by Norman Rockwell titled, "So You Want to See the President!" at the association's offices Wednesday, June 10, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
Stewart McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Association, displays a newly-acquired suite of four interrelated paintings by Norman Rockwell titled, "So You Want to See the President!" at the association's offices Wednesday, June 10, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

Overview

  • The White House Historical Association placed Norman Rockwell’s four-panel suite “So You Want to See the President!” on public display beginning June 25, 2026 at The People’s House, with the exhibit running through June 2027.
  • The association bought the four 21-by-28-inch panels at Heritage Auctions for $7.25 million late last year, the largest single purchase in its history, to prevent the works from entering a private collection.
  • New provenance work by the association identified many real-life visitors Rockwell sketched from Roosevelt’s West Wing waiting room and tied them to schedules, diaries and staff records.
  • The exhibit includes AI-driven digital interactives developed with Iconic Moments that animate characters and present short biographies to help visitors understand who Rockwell depicted.
  • The auction followed a long family ownership dispute that was resolved in the courts, and the association says it is still deciding the panels’ long-term home even as it guarantees public access for now.