Joe Biden Redecorates Oval Office with Art Reflecting Unity, Science, Civil Rights

Upon his inauguration as the 46th President of the United States, Joe Biden swiftly transformed the Oval Office's art collection to signal his administration's priorities of unity, science, and civil rights. He replaced the portrait of Andrew Jackson—favored by predecessor Donald Trump—with one of Benjamin Franklin, emphasizing trust in science amid a pandemic. A portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt now faces the Resolute Desk, echoing Biden's challenge of leading through crisis. Portraits of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton hang side by side to illustrate the value of opposing viewpoints. Banners of army commands and a bust of Winston Churchill loaned by Britain were removed. New additions include busts of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, along with sculptures of Rosa Parks, Cesar Chavez, and Eleanor Roosevelt. A sculpture of a horse and rider by Chiricahua Apache artist Allan Houser, once owned by the first Japanese American elected to both houses of Congress, also appears. A moon rock and Childe Hassam's 1917 painting of the American flag, previously displayed by Barack Obama, remain. The only known loan from the Smithsonian is a landscape by Black artist Robert Duncanson, selected with input from First Lady Jill Biden. Ashley Williams, deputy director of the Oval Office, told the Washington Post that the space should represent America and preview the president's approach.