Murals & Other Artwork on Campus

George Washington High School is home to one of San Francisco’s most celebrated Depression-era projects — the magnificent building by J. R. Miller and Timothy Pflueger and priceless artworks by Harlem Renaissance sculptor Sargent Johnson and painters Ralph Stackpole, Lucien Labault, Gordon Langdon, and Victor Arnautoff. Designed as an ensemble, the art and architecture work together toward the same goals — honoring our first president, the West and education. Writing in 1936, Charles Sawyer, then City Architect, considered it “in a class by itself” and “perhaps the most outstanding” San Francisco school built after the 1906 earthquake. The building was constructed with City bond funds and the federal Public Works Administration; the Works Progress Administration funded the artworks.

Visit these pages for detailed information.

• Life of Washington - brief bio of Victor Arnautoff

  • Murals FAQ

  • Washington's Early Years

  • Start of a Revolution

  • Scenes Before and After the War

  • Painting Truth to Power

• Multi-Ethnic Heritage - Dewey Crumpler

• Athletics frieze - Sargent Johnson

• Library Murals - Langdon, Labaudt & Stackpole

Your contribution to the Murals Fund helps the Alumni Association preserve the murals and other art for which GWHS is the fortunate custodian and provide educational materials to GWHS students and interested art scholars. Click the button below or text EAGLES4LIFE to 53-555 and select the Murals Fund. Give a one-time gift, or start a quarterly or monthly giving schedule. The confirmation email you receive from Givebutter is your receipt and valid for tax purposes.