The Muralist by B.A. Shapiro

A young art appraiser is investigating some paintings that were found taped to the backs of other paintings. They appear to be in the same abstract style and could be those of her long lost great aunt - Alizee Benoit who disappeared during World War II. The story shifts between modern day and the search to locate any reference to the artist and then to the artist herself and a fascinating story of family, the abstract art movement in New York City during the Depression and the plight of the Jewish refugees. A third voice is also heard, that of Eleanor Roosevelt, who was working on Alizee's behalf to save as many European refugees and help with the little known or appreciated modern art movement. The level of political unrest, economic depression and general ignorance about what was happening in Europe plays almost as large of a part as that of this wave of new expression and the WPA that employed these artists.