Exhibition

John Hand, curator of northern Renaissance paintings, National Gallery of Art. Undoubtedly the greatest Renaissance artist from Estonia, Michel Sittow (c. 1469-1525) was born in Reval (now Tallinn in present-day Estonia), quite likely studied in Bruges with Hans Memling, and worked at the courts of renowned European royals such as King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile. Organized by the Art Museum of Estonia, Tallinn, and the National Gallery of Art, the exhibition Michel Sittow: Estonian Painter at the Courts of Renaissance Europe marks the occasion of the centennial of the Estonian Republic in 2018. On view at the Gallery from January 28 through May 13, 2018, the exhibition represents most of Sittow's small oeuvre through some 20 works. In this lecture held on March 11, John Hand examines Sittow's art in a broader context, including his relationship to Netherlandish contemporaries and a possible collaboration with Juan de Flandes.

John Hand, curator of northern Renaissance paintings, National Gallery of Art. Undoubtedly the greatest Renaissance artist from Estonia, Michel Sittow (c. 1469-1525) was born in Reval (now Tallinn in present-day Estonia), quite likely studied in Bruges with Hans Memling, and worked at the courts of renowned European royals such as King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile. Organized by the Art Museum of Estonia, Tallinn, and the National Gallery of Art, the exhibition Michel Sittow: Estonian Painter at the Courts of Renaissance Europe marks the occasion of the centennial of the Estonian Republic in 2018. On view at the Gallery from January 28 through May 13, 2018, the exhibition represents most of Sittow's small oeuvre through some 20 works. In this lecture held on March 11, John Hand examines Sittow's art in a broader context, including his relationship to Netherlandish contemporaries and a possible collaboration with Juan de Flandes.

Yuriko Jackall, assistant curator, department of French paintings, National Gallery of Art. Combining art, fashion, science, and conservation, the exhibition Fragonard: The Fantasy Figures brings together for the first time some 14 of the paintings known as the fantasy figures by Jean Honoré Fragonard (1732–1806). Fragonard is considered among the most characteristic and important French painters of his era, and this series—several rapidly executed, brightly colored paintings of lavishly costumed individuals—includes some of his most beloved works. The revelatory exhibition explores the many interpretations of the fantasy figures in the context of the artist's career and elucidates the development of that career, the identity of Fragonard’s sitters and patrons, and the significance of his innovative imagery. To celebrate its opening on October 8, 2017, at the National Gallery of Art, Yuriko Jackall introduces the exhibition, which is on view through December 3, 2017.

Valerie Hellstein, independent scholar, and Elizabeth Prelinger, Keyser Family Professor of Art History and Modern Art, Georgetown University, in conversation with Mollie Berger, curatorial assistant, department of prints and drawings, National Gallery of Art. This conversation, held on September 10, 2017, in conjunction with the exhibition Edvard Munch: Color in Context, aims to connect the highly charged and personal art of Edvard Munch (1863–1944) with contemporary notions of spirituality. Mollie Berger, Valerie Hellstein, and Elizabeth Prelinger explore how theosophy influenced Munch’s art, specifically his use of color. In addition, the discussion examines the ways in which advances in various scientific fields impacted the spread of spiritualism and how artists responded to these cultural shifts. Edvard Munch: Color in Context is on view at the National Gallery of Art from September 3, 2017, through January 28, 2018.

Kimberly A. Jones, curator of 19th-century French paintings, National Gallery of Art. Frédéric Bazille (1841–1870) was a central figure in the history of early impressionism who worked closely with the renowned artists Claude Monet (1840–1926) and Auguste Renoir (1840-1917). Killed in the Franco-Prussian War just prior to his 29th birthday, Bazille all but vanished from history before his talent could be fully recognized. To celebrate the opening of Frédéric Bazille and the Birth of Impressionism on April 9, 2017, at the National Gallery of Art, Kimberly A. Jones provides an overview of the exhibition, the first devoted to the artist in the United States in a quarter century. On view through July 9, 2017, the exhibition examines Bazille’s place within the vibrant avant-garde art scene of Paris in the 1860s and the role he played in the birth of the impressionist movement.

Kimberly A. Jones, curator of 19th-century French paintings, National Gallery of Art. Frédéric Bazille (1841–1870) was a central figure in the history of early impressionism who worked closely with the renowned artists Claude Monet (1840–1926) and Auguste Renoir (1840-1917). Killed in the Franco-Prussian War just prior to his 29th birthday, Bazille all but vanished from history before his talent could be fully recognized. To celebrate the opening of Frédéric Bazille and the Birth of Impressionism on April 9, 2017, at the National Gallery of Art, Kimberly A. Jones provides an overview of the exhibition, the first devoted to the artist in the United States in a quarter century. On view through July 9, 2017, the exhibition examines Bazille’s place within the vibrant avant-garde art scene of Paris in the 1860s and the role he played in the birth of the impressionist movement.

Diane Waggoner, curator of nineteenth-century photographs, National Gallery of Art. The first exhibition to focus exclusively on photographs made in the eastern half of the United States during the 19th century, East of the Mississippi: Nineteenth-Century American Landscape Photography showcases some 175 works—from daguerreotypes and stereographs to albumen prints and cyanotypes—as well as several photographers whose efforts have often gone unheralded. Celebrating natural wonders such as Niagara Falls and the White Mountains, as well as capturing a cultural landscape fundamentally altered by industrialization, the Civil War, and tourism, these photographs not only helped shape America’s national identity but also played a role in the emergence of environmentalism. Diane Waggoner introduces the exhibition in this opening-day lecture recorded on March 12, 2017, at the National Gallery of Art. East of the Mississippi is on view through July 16, 2017.

Diane Waggoner, curator of nineteenth-century photographs, National Gallery of Art. The first exhibition to focus exclusively on photographs made in the eastern half of the United States during the 19th century, East of the Mississippi: Nineteenth-Century American Landscape Photography showcases some 175 works—from daguerreotypes and stereographs to albumen prints and cyanotypes—as well as several photographers whose efforts have often gone unheralded. Celebrating natural wonders such as Niagara Falls and the White Mountains, as well as capturing a cultural landscape fundamentally altered by industrialization, the Civil War, and tourism, these photographs not only helped shape America’s national identity but also played a role in the emergence of environmentalism. Diane Waggoner introduces the exhibition in this opening-day lecture recorded on March 12, 2017, at the National Gallery of Art. East of the Mississippi is on view through July 16, 2017.

Alexander S. C. Rower, Calder’s grandson and president of the Calder Foundation, in conversation with Harry Cooper, curator of modern art, National Gallery of Art. Perhaps no artist has a larger presence at the National Gallery of Art than Alexander Calder. His monumental mobile, commissioned for the opening of the East Building, has become nearly as iconic as the building itself. A part of the East Building renovation and expansion, Tower 2 now boasts the world’s largest display of works by Alexander Calder: more than 40 sculptures and paintings, spanning the period from the late 1920s through 1976 and including 19 long-term loans from the Calder Foundation. In addition to the works in the Tower 2 gallery and the atrium mobile, three Calder sculptures can be found around the Gallery’s campus: Obus (1972) was recently installed in the West Concourse Gallery; Tom’s (1974), on loan from the Calder Foundation, is on view outside the Seventh Street entrance; and another loan from the foundation, Cheval Rouge (1974), is installed in the Sculpture Garden. In this conversation recorded on February 26, 2017, Alexander S. C. Rower discusses the role of his grandfather’s art at the Gallery with Harry Cooper. This program is coordinated with the Calder Foundation.

Virginia Dwan, collector, and James Meyer, deputy director and chief curator, Dia Art Foundation. The remarkable career of gallerist and patron Virginia Dwan is featured front and center for the first time in an exhibition of some 100 works, including highlights from Dwan's promised gift of her extraordinary personal collection to the National Gallery of Art. Founded by Dwan in a storefront in Los Angeles in 1959, Dwan's West Coast enterprise was a leading avant-garde space in the early 1960s, presenting works by abstract expressionists, neo-dadaists, pop artists, and nouveaux réalistes. In 1965, Dwan established a gallery in New York where she presented groundbreaking exhibitions of such new tendencies as minimalism, conceptual art, and land. The exhibition traces Dwan's activities and the emergence of an avant-garde gallery in an age of mobility, when air travel and the interstate highway system linked the two coasts and transformed the making of art and the sites of its exhibition. On September 27, 2016, at the National Gallery of Art, Virginia Dwan and James Meyer join in conversation to celebrate the opening week of the exhibition Los Angeles to New York: Dwan Gallery, 1959–1971, on view from September 30, 2016, through January 29, 2017.

Margaret Morgan Grasselli, curator and head, department of old master drawings, National Gallery of Art; and Yuriko Jackall, assistant curator, department of French paintings, National Gallery of Art. Celebrated for the fundamental role he played in promoting the architectural capriccio, Hubert Robert (1733-1808) combined the famous monuments of antiquity and modernity in unexpected ways to create strikingly new and imaginative city scenes and landscapes. Dubbed “Robert of the Ruins” by the great critic and encyclopedist Denis Diderot, Robert was regarded during his era as one of France’s most prominent artists. To celebrate the exhibition opening of Hubert Robert, coorganized by the National Gallery of Art and the Musée du Louvre, Margaret Morgan Grasselli and Yuriko Jackall present an introductory lecture on June 26, 2016. Although Robert’s reputation has endured, this monographic exhibition, on view through October 2, 2016, is the first to encompass his entire career and to survey his achievements as both a painter and a draftsman.

Frank Gehry, architect, in conversation with Paul Goldberger, architecture critic and author, Building Art: The Life and Work of Frank Gehry. Moderated by Harry Cooper, curator and head, department of modern art, National Gallery of Art

The National Gallery of Art, in collaboration with the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies (FAPE), hosted a panel discussion with architect Frank Gehry and Pulitzer Prize–winning architectural critic Paul Goldberger on April 18, 2016. The conversation, moderated by Harry Cooper, was held in honor of Building Art: The Life and Work of Frank Gehry. This first critical biography presents and evaluates the work of a man who has almost single-handedly transformed contemporary architecture in his innovative use of materials, design, and form. Gehry is also among the very few architects in history to be both respected by critics as a creative, cutting-edge force and embraced by the general public as a popular figure. At once a sweeping view of a great architect and an intimate look at creative genius, Building Art is in many ways the saga of the architectural milieu of the 21st century. But most of all it is the compelling story of the man who first comes to mind when we think of the lasting possibilities of buildings as art.

David A. Doheny, former general counsel, National Trust for Historic Preservation, and author, David Finley: Quiet Force for America's Arts. In honor of the 75th anniversary of the National Gallery of Art, which opened in March 1941, David A. Doheny reassesses the work of its three principal creators—Andrew W. Mellon (1855–1937), David Finley (1890-1977), and Paul Mellon (1907-1999). Andrew Mellon provided its vision, the funds to build and endow it, and his superb art collection to act as a nucleus of a national gallery before his death. David Finley was his principal deputy in this enterprise from its conception in 1927 onward. Paul Mellon was appointed a trustee of the Gallery in 1937 and had a harmonious working relationship with Finley. After the deaths of both Andrew W. Mellon and his architect John Russell Pope within 24 hours of each other, Finley took charge of completing the design and construction of the West Building. Finley was also instrumental in securing important collections for the Gallery, including those of Samuel H. Kress, Joseph E. Widener, Lessing J. Rosenwald, and Chester Dale. In this lecture recorded on April 10, 2016, Doheny uses Finley’s published writings and personal journals to provide insights into his relationships with the Mellons.

Anna Vasiliki Karapanagiotou, director, Ephorate of Antiquities of Arcadia, Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports. To honor closing day of the exhibition Power and Pathos: Bronze Sculpture of the Hellenistic World on March 20, 2016, Anna Vasiliki Karapanagiotou surveys imagery portraying influential women of Hellenistic and Roman Athens in order to explore and better understand their historical context. The late Hellenistic and imperial periods were characterized by profound changes in ancient Greeks’ perceptions of societal roles. In this lecture, Karapanagiotou explains how life for women was altered and suitable conditions arose for more prominent depictions of upper-class women in visual media. This program was coordinated with and supported by the Embassy of Greece to the United States.

Richard Mason, lecturer on classical archaeology and art and history of museums, University of Maryland, Baltimore County. The exhibition Power and Pathos: Bronze Sculpture of the Hellenistic World, on view at the National Gallery of Art from December 13, 2015, to March 20, 2016, presents some 50 bronze sculptures and related works, dating from the fourth century BC to the first century AD. They span the Hellenistic period, when the art and culture of Greece spread throughout the Mediterranean and lands once conquered by Alexander the Great. The exhibition provides a unique opportunity to witness the importance of bronze in the ancient world, when it became the preferred medium for portrait sculpture. In this public symposium held on March 18 and 19, 2016, in conjunction with the exhibition, Richard Mason offers a broad overview of Hellenistic science and technology—suggesting connections between developments in diverse fields as a result of royal patronage that supported the scholarly community. Select examples cited include Eratosthenes on measuring the Earth’s circumference, Herophilos and Erasistratos on anatomical research, Ktesibios on hydraulics and pneumatics, Ktesibios’s successors on instruments, the Antikythera mechanism, and the ancient sailing vessel Syracusia of Hieron designed by Archimedes.

Kenneth Lapatin, associate curator of antiquities, The J. Paul Getty Museum
The exhibition Power and Pathos: Bronze Sculpture of the Hellenistic World, on view at the National Gallery of Art from December 13, 2015, through March 20, 2016, presents some 50 bronze sculptures and related works, dating from the fourth century BC to the first century AD. They span the Hellenistic period when the art and culture of Greece spread throughout the Mediterranean and lands once conquered by Alexander the Great. The exhibition provides a unique opportunity to witness the importance of bronze in the ancient world, when it became the preferred medium for portrait sculpture. In this public symposium held on March 18 and 19, 2016, in conjunction with the exhibition, Kenneth Lapatin uses economic arguments to challenge the notion that bronze sculpture was as highly valued in antiquity as it is today. He then examines the Hellenistic production of artifacts fashioned from gold, silver, hard stones, ivory, and other expensive, exotic materials and explores how they were deployed by ancient elites in a variety of contexts.

Carol Mattusch, Mathy Professor of Art History Emerita, George Mason University. The exhibition Power and Pathos: Bronze Sculpture of the Hellenistic World, on view at the National Gallery of Art from December 13, 2015, to March 20, 2016, presents some 50 bronze sculptures and related works, dating from the fourth century BC to the first century AD. They span the Hellenistic period, when the art and culture of Greece spread throughout the Mediterranean and lands once conquered by Alexander the Great. The exhibition provides a unique opportunity to witness the importance of bronze in the ancient world, when it became the preferred medium for portrait sculpture. In this public symposium held on March 18 and 19, 2016, in conjunction with the exhibition, Carol Mattusch questions the preference for bronze—citing, for example, that a nude bronze man with flashing eyes, open mouth, copper lips, and reflective physique was as realistic as statuary got.

David Sider, professor of classics, New York University. The exhibition Power and Pathos: Bronze Sculpture of the Hellenistic World, on view at the National Gallery of Art from December 13, 2015, through March 20, 2016, presents some 50 bronze sculptures and related works, dating from the fourth century BC to the first century AD. They span the Hellenistic period, when the art and culture of Greece spread throughout the Mediterranean and lands once conquered by Alexander the Great. The exhibition provides a unique opportunity to witness the importance of bronze in the ancient world, when it became the preferred medium for portrait sculpture. In this public symposium held on March 18 and 19, 2016, in conjunction with the exhibition, David Sider concentrates on how contemporary science and art appear in the poetry of this period. The deservedly well-known mathematicians Archimedes and Eratosthenes each wrote technical epigrams on mathematical problems, perhaps the most technical examples of one of Hellenistic poetry’s most famous genres, didactic poetry. Sider also focuses on Posidippus, his published book of epigrams, and his ekphrastic poems on statues and carved gems.

Christopher A. Gregg, term assistant professor of art history, George Mason University, and professor in charge, University of Georgia Classics Study Abroad in Rome. The exhibition Power and Pathos: Bronze Sculpture of the Hellenistic World, on view at the National Gallery of Art from December 13, 2015, through March 20, 2016, presents some 50 bronze sculptures and related works, dating from the fourth century BC to the first century AD. They span the Hellenistic period when the art and culture of Greece spread throughout the Mediterranean and lands once conquered by Alexander the Great. In this public symposium, held on March 18-19, 2016, in conjunction with the exhibition, Christopher A. Gregg examines how the core identity of the Hellenistic city manifested in traditional forms of public sculpture and architecture, often attempting to draw clear parallels with the great polities that came before. The highly competitive nature of the Hellenistic kingdoms, however, combined with the addition of new cultural interactions, also provided motivation for experimentation and aggrandizement in order to make these cities distinctive both from one another and from the archaic or classical past.

Andrew Stewart, professor of ancient Mediterranean art and archaeology and Nicholas C. Petris Professor of Greek Studies, University of California, Berkeley, and curator of Mediterranean archaeology, Hearst Museum of Anthropology. The exhibition Power and Pathos: Bronze Sculpture of the Hellenistic World, on view at the National Gallery of Art from December 13, 2015, through March 20, 2016, presents some 50 bronze sculptures and related works, dating from the fourth century BC to the first century AD. They span the Hellenistic period when the art and culture of Greece spread throughout the Mediterranean and lands once conquered by Alexander the Great. The exhibition provides a unique opportunity to witness the importance of bronze in the ancient world, when it became the preferred medium for portrait sculpture. Part of a public symposium held in conjunction with the exhibition on March 18 and 19, 2016, Andrew Stewart’s lecture, “Muzcle into Bronze,” seeks to put bronze athlete statues in context by briefly sketching the similarities and differences between the ancient Olympics and ours; examining the uniquely ancient Greek practice of competing in the nude and its key role in Greek self-definition; tracing the development of Greek athletic victor statues to c. 300 BC; and commenting upon the athlete bronzes featured in the exhibition. This program is cosponsored by the Washington DC Society of the Archaeological Institute of America.

Gianfranco Adornato, professor of classical archaeology, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa. The exhibition Power and Pathos: Bronze Sculpture of the Hellenistic World, on view at the National Gallery of Art from December 13, 2015, through March 20, 2016, presents some 50 bronze sculptures and related works, dating from the fourth century BC to the first century AD. They span the Hellenistic period when the art and culture of Greece spread throughout the Mediterranean and lands once conquered by Alexander the Great. The exhibition provides a unique opportunity to witness the importance of bronze in the ancient world, when it became the preferred medium for portrait sculpture. In his lecture, “Living Statues,” at a public symposium held in conjunction with the exhibition on March 18 and 19, 2016, Gianfranco Adornato examines the reception and appreciation of Hellenistic sculpture in ancient and modern times. Adornato analyzes ancient literary sources and archaeological evidence as documentation of how these statues were perceived in their historical and cultural contexts. This program is coordinated with and supported by the Embassy of Italy to the United States and the Italian Cultural Institute in Washington, DC, held as part of “Protecting our Heritage” activities of the European Union National Institutes of Culture (EUNIC) in Washington, DC.

Dimitrios Pandermalis, president of the board of directors, Acropolis Museum, and professor of archaeology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. On view from December 13, 2015, through March 20, 2016, at the National Gallery of Art, the exhibition Power and Pathos: Bronze Sculpture of the Hellenistic World presents some 50 bronze sculptures and related works, dating from the fourth century BC to the first century AD. They span the Hellenistic period when the art and culture of Greece spread throughout the Mediterranean and lands once conquered by Alexander the Great. In this lecture recorded on March 17, 2016, Dimitrios Pandermalis shares ruins and finds from recent excavations of Dion, the sacred site at Mount Olympus dedicated to Zeus, father of the ancient Greek gods. Discoveries include altars, sanctuaries, temples, dedications, and inscriptions to Zeus, Dionysos, and Isis, testifying to the importance of the gods and goddess during the Hellenistic era. This program is coordinated with Eleftherios Ikonomou, ARTSetc. Intercultural Dialogues, Berlin, with generous funding from the Goelet Corporation, New York.

Carol Mattusch, Mathy Professor of Art History, George Mason University. On view from December 13, 2015, through March 20, 2016, the exhibition Power and Pathos: Bronze Sculpture of the Hellenistic World features 50 works that survey the development of Hellenistic art as it spread from Greece throughout the Mediterranean between the fourth and first centuries BC. Through the medium of bronze, artists were able to capture the dynamic realism, expression, and detail that characterized the new artistic goals of the period. Power and Pathos brings together works from world-renowned archaeological museums in Austria, Denmark, France, Georgia, Great Britain, Greece, Italy, Spain, Tunisia, the United States, and the Vatican. The exhibition presents a unique opportunity to witness the importance of bronze in the ancient world, when it became the preferred medium for portrait sculpture. In this lecture recorded on February 7, 2016, at the National Gallery of Art, Carol Mattusch explains that many of the bronzes in Power and Pathos are incomplete, and explores these questions: What did the complete statues look like? What were the sculptures used for? And were they all statues or did some of them serve other functions?

Susan Tallman, adjunct associate professor of art history, theory, and criticism, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and editor in chief, Art in Print. For centuries, Western artists strove to depict perfection and order—a created world that made more sense than the found one. Much contemporary art has chosen instead to articulate profusion, fragmentation, and the squiggly line between explanation and digression. In this lecture, held on January 24, 2016 to coincide with the exhibition The Serial Impulse at Gemini G.E.L. at the National Gallery of Art, Susan Tallman looks at the essential role of prints and printmaking in the rise of conceptual and physical complexity. Gemini G.E.L. (Graphic Editions Limited), the renowned Los Angeles artists’ workshop and publisher of fine art limited edition prints and sculptures, has collaborated with some of the most influential artists of the past five decades. On view from October 4, 2015 to February 7, 2016, The Serial Impulse features 17 multipart series by 17 different artists.

George Koutsouflakis, director, department of archaeological sites, monuments and research, Hellenic Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities. The exhibition Power and Pathos: Bronze Sculpture of the Hellenistic World, on view from December 13, 2015, through March 20, 2016, at the National Gallery of Art, features 50 works that survey the development of Hellenistic art as it spread from Greece throughout the Mediterranean between the fourth and first centuries BC. On land sites, bronze artworks have seldom survived the vicissitudes of history. The sea remains the richest reservoir of ancient bronzes lost during transit. While the Aegean Sea has yielded some of the most spectacular and well-known masterpieces over the last century, only a handful of them have been retrieved from excavated shipwrecks. These limited discoveries are by far outnumbered by isolated, chance finds, raised by fishing nets, which present no direct evidence of a context. No matter how exceptional, isolated bronzes offer little information on the circumstances of their transit, while wreck sites from where they were detached remain elusive and seem to persistently resist discovery. In this lecture recorded on January 17, 2016, marine archaeologist George Koutsouflakis presents an overview of bronzes found in the Aegean, highlighting the conditions of their recovery, elusiveness of the wrecks, and historical context of the transportation. This program is cosponsored by the Washington DC Society of the Archaeological Institute of America.

George Koutsouflakis, director, department of archaeological sites, monuments and research, Hellenic Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities. The exhibition Power and Pathos: Bronze Sculpture of the Hellenistic World, on view from December 13, 2015, through March 20, 2016, at the National Gallery of Art, features 50 works that survey the development of Hellenistic art as it spread from Greece throughout the Mediterranean between the fourth and first centuries BC. On land sites, bronze artworks have seldom survived the vicissitudes of history. The sea remains the richest reservoir of ancient bronzes lost during transit. While the Aegean Sea has yielded some of the most spectacular and well-known masterpieces over the last century, only a handful of them have been retrieved from excavated shipwrecks. These limited discoveries are by far outnumbered by isolated, chance finds, raised by fishing nets, which present no direct evidence of a context. No matter how exceptional, isolated bronzes offer little information on the circumstances of their transit, while wreck sites from where they were detached remain elusive and seem to persistently resist discovery. In this lecture recorded on January 17, 2016, marine archaeologist George Koutsouflakis presents an overview of bronzes found in the Aegean, highlighting the conditions of their recovery, elusiveness of the wrecks, and historical context of the transportation. This program is cosponsored by the Washington DC Society of the Archaeological Institute of America.

Jens M. Daehner and Kenneth S. Lapatin, associate curators of antiquities, The J. Paul Getty Museum. To celebrate the opening of Power and Pathos: Bronze Sculpture of the Hellenistic World on December 13, 2015, exhibition curators Jens M. Daehner and Kenneth S. Lapatin present some 50 bronze sculptures and related works, dating from the 4th century BC to the 1st century AD. They span the Hellenistic period when the art and culture of Greece spread throughout the Mediterranean and lands once conquered by Alexander the Great. Through the medium of bronze, artists were able to capture the dynamic realism, expression, and detail that characterized the new artistic goals of the period. Power and Pathos brings together works from world-renowned archaeological museums in Austria, Croatia, Denmark, France, Georgia, Great Britain, Greece, Italy, Spain, and the United States. On view through March 20, 2016, the exhibition presents a unique opportunity to witness the importance of bronze in the ancient world, when it became the preferred medium for portrait sculpture.

Adam Greenhalgh, exhibition curator and lead author on the team producing the catalogue raisonné Mark Rothko: The Works on Paper, National Gallery of Art. For centuries artists have made multipart series, undertaking subjects on a scale not possible in a single work. This engagement was especially prevalent in the 1960s, as artists dedicated to conceptual, minimalist, and pop approaches explored the potential of serial procedures and structures. Many prominent artists since then have produced serial projects at the renowned Los Angeles print workshop and publisher Gemini G.E.L. (Graphic Editions Limited). In honor of The Serial Impulse at Gemini G.E.L., an exhibition opening at the National Gallery of Art on October 4, 2015, Adam Greenhalgh provides an overview of 17 series created at Gemini by 17 artists over the past five decades. On view through February 7, 2016, the exhibition includes seminal early works by artists such as Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, and Frank Stella as well as more recent serial projects by John Baldessari, Julie Mehretu, and Richard Serra.

Adam Greenhalgh, exhibition curator and lead author on the team producing the catalogue raisonné Mark Rothko: The Works on Paper, National Gallery of Art. For centuries artists have made multipart series, undertaking subjects on a scale not possible in a single work. This engagement was especially prevalent in the 1960s, as artists dedicated to conceptual, minimalist, and pop approaches explored the potential of serial procedures and structures. Many prominent artists since then have produced serial projects at the renowned Los Angeles print workshop and publisher Gemini G.E.L. (Graphic Editions Limited). In honor of The Serial Impulse at Gemini G.E.L., an exhibition opening at the National Gallery of Art on October 4, 2015, Adam Greenhalgh provides an overview of 17 series created at Gemini by 17 artists over the past five decades. On view through February 7, 2016, the exhibition includes seminal early works by artists such as Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, and Frank Stella as well as more recent serial projects by John Baldessari, Julie Mehretu, and Richard Serra.

Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., curator of northern baroque paintings, National Gallery of Art. In this lecture recorded on September 20, 2015, to honor the exhibition Pleasure and Piety: The Art of Joachim Wtewael (1566–1638), Arthur K. Wheelock Jr. presents the artist as a master storyteller, virtuoso draftsman, and brilliant colorist. Born and raised in Utrecht, one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands, Wtewael embraced the popular international style known as mannerism, characterized by extreme refinement, artifice, and elegant distortion. He remained one of the leading proponents of this style, even as most early seventeenth-century Dutch artists shifted to a more naturalistic manner of painting. Wtewael’s inventive compositions, teeming with twisting, choreographed figures and saturated with pastels and acidic colors, retained their appeal for his patrons. Wtewael depicted risqué mythological scenes and moralizing biblical stories with equal ease. Yet his strong adherence to a mannerist style would also lead to the eventual decline of his reputation. On view from June 28 through October 4, 2015, and featuring 37 paintings and 11 drawings, the exhibition sheds light on Wtewael’s artistic excellence and allows him to reclaim his rightful place among the great masters of the Dutch Golden Age.

Mary Morton, curator and head, department of French paintings, National Gallery of Art; Joseph J. Rishel, The Gisela and Dennis Alter Senior Curator of European Painting before 1900 and Senior Curator of the John G. Johnson Collection, Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Rodin Museum; Jennifer A. Thompson, The Gloria and Jack Drosdick Associate Curator of European Painting and Sculpture before 1900, Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Rodin Museum. Two concurrent impressionist exhibitions, Discovering the Impressionists: Paul Durand-Ruel and the New Painting (Philadelphia Museum of Art, June 24-September 13, 2015) and Gustave Caillebotte: The Painter’s Eye (National Gallery of Art, June 28-October 4, 2015), raise a provocative art-historical issue: what role do dealers and the art market play in formulating artistic values. The hard-won success of impressionist painters depended on the support and encouragement of Paul Durand-Ruel in the 1870s and 1880s. His efforts established a core group identified with the movement, which would become a canon in 20th-century art-historical accounts. Although Caillebotte was one of the leaders of the impressionist movement, he was left out of this canon until recently. In this panel discussion recorded on September 10, 2015, at the National Gallery of Art, exhibition curators Mary Morton, Joseph J. Rishel, and Jennifer A. Thompson explore this omission and the factors that contributed to it.

Sarah Cash, consulting curator, department of American and British paintings, National Gallery of Art, and former Bechhoefer Curator of American Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art. Richard Norris Brooke enjoyed a long and successful artistic career in Washington, DC. Active in almost every local arts organization, the painter served as vice principal of the Corcoran School of Art from 1902 to 1918. Of the numerous paintings by Brooke that represent African American life in rural northern Virginia, A Pastoral Visit (1881) is the most celebrated. Purchased by the Corcoran Gallery of Art in 1881 and now in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, the work depicts an elderly minister seated at a table with a family of parishioners. The artist portrayed the figures in this large canvas with a degree of humanity and dignity rare in 19th-century images of African Americans, which Brooke criticized as “works of flimsy treatment and vulgar exaggeration.” He grouped the highly individualized figures as a tight domestic unit engaged in a cultural activity important to white and black families alike. In this lecture, delivered on May 14, 2015 as part of the Works in Progress series, Sarah Cash examines this fascinating genre scene in detail, revealing new discoveries and ongoing research about where and when it was painted in Warrenton, Virginia.

John Hand, curator of northern Renaissance paintings, National Gallery of Art; Kimberly Schenck, head of paper conservation, National Gallery of Art; and Stacey Sell, associate curator of old master drawings, National Gallery of Art. This first comprehensive exhibition to examine the history of metalpoint—the art of drawing with a metal stylus on a specially prepared ground—premiered at the National Gallery of Art from May 3 through July 26, 2015. With some 90 drawings from the Middle Ages to the present, Drawing in Silver and Gold: Leonardo to Jasper Johns featured works from the collections of the British Museum, the National Gallery of Art, and other major museums in the United States and Europe. In this lecture recorded on May 10, 2015, exhibition curators John Hand and Stacey Sell and conservator Kimberly Schenck demonstrate the surprising range of effects possible in metalpoint—a medium that has often been regarded as limited and unforgiving. Works discussed include those by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Rogier van der Weyden, Albrecht Dürer, Rembrandt van Rijn, and Jasper Johns.

Sarah Greenough, senior curator and head, department of photographs, National Gallery of Art. In 1990 the National Gallery of Art launched an initiative to acquire the finest examples of the art of photography and to mount photography exhibitions of the highest quality, accompanied by scholarly publications and programs. In the years since, the Gallery’s collection of photographs has grown to nearly 15,000 works encompassing the history of the medium from its beginnings in 1839 to the present, featuring in-depth holdings of work by many of the masters of the art form. The Gallery’s program of photography-related exhibitions and publications is now considered among the best in the world. Commemorating the 25th anniversary of this initiative, the Gallery presents three major exhibitions in 2015 exemplifying the vitality, breadth, and history of its photography holdings. Two of these exhibitions opened simultaneously on May 3, 2015: In Light of the Past: 25 Years of Photography at the National Gallery of Art and The Memory of Time: Contemporary Photographs at the National Gallery of Art, Acquired with the Alfred H. Moses and Fern M. Schad Fund. In this lecture held in honor of opening day, Sarah Greenough provides a brief history of the growth of the Gallery’s photography program and an overview of both exhibitions. On view through July 26, 2015, In Light of the Past demonstrates how the Gallery’s exemplary holdings reveal the evolution of the art of photography. On view through September 13, 2015, The Memory of Time explores the work of 26 contemporary artists who investigate the richness and complexity of photography’s relationship to time, memory, and history.

Panelists include Theaster Gates, artist, and director of arts and public life, resident artist, and lecturer, department of visual arts, University of Chicago; Yo-Yo Ma, cellist; and Darren Walker, vice president, Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies, and president, The Ford Foundation. Moderated by Molly Donovan, associate curator of modern art, National Gallery of Art. The National Gallery of Art, in collaboration with the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies (FAPE), hosted a panel discussion on the role of cultural citizens on April 20, 2015 in the East Building Atrium. Molly Donovan moderates a conversation with Theaster Gates, Yo-Yo Ma, and Darren Walker on the impact of cultural exchange and its ability to forge ties among communities.

Virginia Brilliant, The Ulla R. Searing Curator of Collections, The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, Florida. The first major retrospective of paintings by the inventive Italian Renaissance master Piero di Cosimo premiered at the National Gallery of Art on February 1, 2015. After Giorgio Vasari described Piero in 1550 as an oddball misanthrope—“more like a beast than a man”—the painter was generally relegated to the margins of art history. American collectors, who tended to focus on mainstream works, did not begin collecting Piero’s paintings until the 1930s and 1940s. Yet museums in America are now home to numerous paintings by this visionary artist—from solemn altarpieces and tondi to intriguing mythological scenes. In this lecture, held on March 19, 2015, Virginia Brilliant explores how changing tastes and opportunities prompted American collectors to acquire major works by this eccentric artist. Piero di Cosimo: The Poetry of Painting in Renaissance Florence is on view through May 3, 2015.

Gretchen Hirschauer, associate curator of Italian and Spanish paintings, National Gallery of Art; and Elizabeth Walmsley, paintings conservator, National Gallery of Art. Piero di Cosimo: The Poetry of Painting in Renaissance Florence, the first major retrospective of paintings by the imaginative Italian Renaissance master Piero di Cosimo (1462-1522), is on view at the National Gallery of Art from February 1 through May 3, 2015. The exhibition features 44 of the artist’s most compelling paintings—three quarters of his extant work. Several important paintings recently underwent conservation treatment, among them the Gallery’s Visitation altarpiece (c. 1489/1490). In this lecture, delivered on February 9, 2015 as part of the Works in Progress series, exhibition curator Gretchen Hirschauer and conservator Elizabeth Walmsley present their fascinating discoveries on Piero’s known works. Hirschauer also discusses her continuing research on the chronology of his paintings and on the frames associated with these works. Walmsley highlights the range of technical examinations that help characterize Piero’s heterogeneous style.

Harriet Stratis, senior research conservator, Art Institute of Chicago. Concluding Remarks given by George T. M. Shackelford, deputy director, Kimbell Art MuseumHarriet Stratis, senior research conservator, Art Institute of Chicago. Concluding Remarks given by George T. M. Shackelford, deputy director, Kimbell Art Museum. To celebrate the closing day of its Degas/Cassatt exhibition, October 5, 2014, the National Gallery of Art hosted a public symposium titled Degas and Cassatt: Different Perspectives featuring conservators, curators, and scholars. On view beginning May 11, the exhibition focused on how the relationship between American Mary Cassatt (1844–1926) and Frenchman Edgar Degas (1834–1917) influenced their artistic practices and careers. Cassatt, who had settled in Paris in 1874, first met Degas in 1877. Over the next decade, the two artists engaged in an intense dialogue, turning to each other for advice and challenging each other to experiment with materials and techniques. Both made printmaking an important aspect of their careers and for a time collaborated on their endeavors. Their admiration and support for each other endured long after their art began to head in different directions: Degas continued to acquire Cassatt’s work, while she promoted his to collectors back in the United States. They remained devoted friends for 40 years, until Degas’s death.

Norma Broude, professor emerita of art history, American UniversityNorma Broude, professor emerita of art history, American University. To celebrate the closing day of its Degas/Cassatt exhibition, October 5, 2014, the National Gallery of Art hosted a public symposium titled Degas and Cassatt: Different Perspectives featuring conservators, curators, and scholars. On view beginning May 11, the exhibition focused on how the relationship between American Mary Cassatt (1844–1926) and Frenchman Edgar Degas (1834–1917) influenced their artistic practices and careers. Cassatt, who had settled in Paris in 1874, first met Degas in 1877. Over the next decade, the two artists engaged in an intense dialogue, turning to each other for advice and challenging each other to experiment with materials and techniques. Both made printmaking an important aspect of their careers and for a time collaborated on their endeavors. Their admiration and support for each other endured long after their art began to head in different directions: Degas continued to acquire Cassatt’s work, while she promoted his to collectors back in the United States. They remained devoted friends for 40 years, until Degas’s death.

Richard Kendall, curator at large, Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown. To celebrate the closing day of its Degas/Cassatt exhibition, October 5, 2014, the National Gallery of Art hosted a public symposium titled Degas and Cassatt: Different Perspectives featuring conservators, curators, and scholars. On view beginning May 11, the exhibition focused on how the relationship between American Mary Cassatt (1844–1926) and Frenchman Edgar Degas (1834–1917) influenced their artistic practices and careers. Cassatt, who had settled in Paris in 1874, first met Degas in 1877. Over the next decade, the two artists engaged in an intense dialogue, turning to each other for advice and challenging each other to experiment with materials and techniques. Both made printmaking an important aspect of their careers and for a time collaborated on their endeavors. Their admiration and support for each other endured long after their art began to head in different directions: Degas continued to acquire Cassatt’s work, while she promoted his to collectors back in the United States. They remained devoted friends for 40 years, until Degas’s death.

Nancy Mowll Mathews, visiting associate professor, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, and Eugenie Prendergast Senior Curator and Lecturer Emerita, Williams College. To celebrate the closing day of its Degas/Cassatt exhibition, October 5, 2014, the National Gallery of Art hosted a public symposium titled Degas and Cassatt: Different Perspectives featuring conservators, curators, and scholars on October 5, 2014. On view beginning May 11, the exhibition focused on how the relationship between American Mary Cassatt (1844–1926) and Frenchman Edgar Degas (1834–1917) influenced their artistic practices and careers. Cassatt, who had settled in Paris in 1874, first met Degas in 1877. Over the next decade, the two artists engaged in an intense dialogue, turning to each other for advice and challenging each other to experiment with materials and techniques. Both made printmaking an important aspect of their careers and for a time collaborated on their endeavors. Their admiration and support for each other endured long after their art began to head in different directions: Degas continued to acquire Cassatt’s work, while she promoted his to collectors back in the United States. They remained devoted friends for 40 years, until Degas’s death.

Henry Adams, professor of American art, Case Western Reserve University. Andrew Wyeth first saw King Vidor’s anti-war film The Big Parade when he was eight years old, and its emotional impact was overwhelming. Eventually, this experience inspired his first connected series of works. It became still more important to him in the traumatic aftermath of his father’s death. During the course of his life he viewed the film some two hundred times, and many of his most famous paintings, including Christina’s World, reenact key moments in the movie. In this lecture recorded on June 15, 2014 at the National Gallery of Art, Henry Adams explores Wyeth’s fascination with World War I and The Big Parade, and the ways in which Vidor’s path-breaking narrative approach and innovations in film technique encouraged Wyeth to rethink the expressive and philosophical possibilities of painting. This program has been scheduled to coincide with the exhibition Andrew Wyeth: Looking Out, Looking In, organized by the National Gallery of Art, on view only in Washington through November 30, 2014.

Richard Meryman, Andrew Wyeth biographer and lifelong friend; reporter, correspondent, editor, and staff writer, Life magazine. Richard Meryman began an enduring friendship with Andrew Wyeth while writing for Life magazine in 1964. Over four decades, he recorded some 600 hours of conversations with Wyeth as well as with family, friends, and neighbors in Pennsylvania and Maine — ​including Christina Olson, subject of the renowned painting Christina’s World. Meryman’s book Andrew Wyeth: A Spoken Self-Portrait offers a taste of those recordings, skillfully crafted into five monologues on key themes in Wyeth’s work. In this lecture recorded on May 18, 2014, in honor of the exhibition Andrew Wyeth: Looking Out, Looking In, Meryman shares a selection of audio recordings and the process of writing about Wyeth’s spoken self-portrait. We hear Wyeth speak vividly of people and places that triggered memories and emotions to which he gave powerful expression in his art. He shares personal experiences and talks about artists who inspired him and why, revealing profound understanding of these influences. The exhibition, organized by the National Gallery of Art, will be on view only in Washington through November 30, 2014.

Hollis Clayson, Samuel H. Kress Professor, Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, National Gallery of Art. American impressionist painter Mary Cassatt’s art is reexamined in this lecture recorded on May 14, 2014 at the National Gallery of Art. Professor Hollis Clayson argues for new approach to understanding Cassatt’s signature mother-and-child paintings and her early black-and-white intaglio prints set in her Paris apartment library. The “monstrosities” in question arose from often overlooked aspects of the artist’s radically inventive art. This program was held in conjunction with the Degas/Cassatt exhibition on view at the National Gallery of Art, the sole venue, from May 11 to October 5, 2014.

Kimberly A. Jones, associate curator, department of French paintings, National Gallery of Art. Although Edgar Degas's influence upon Mary Cassatt has long been acknowledged, the extent to which Cassatt shaped Degas's artistic production and prepared the way for his warm reception by American audiences is fully examined for the first time in the exhibition Degas/Cassatt. To celebrate the exhibition opening on May 11, 2014, at the National Gallery of Art, Kimberly A. Jones illustrates how the artists’ deep friendship was founded on mutual respect and admiration for each other's talents, despite differences of gender and nationality. These two major figures of the impressionist movement shared a keen observer's eye, as well as an openness to experimentation. With a focus on the critical period from the late 1870s through the mid-1880s when Degas and Cassatt were most closely allied, the exhibition brings together some 70 works in a variety of media to examine the fascinating artistic dialogue that developed between the two. Degas/Cassatt is on view through October 5, 2014.

In celebration of the recent gift of Andrew Wyeth’s Wind from the Sea (1947)—one of the artist’s most important paintings—the National Gallery of Art presents an exhibition focused on Wyeth’s first full realization in tempera of the window as a recurring subject in his art. Andrew Wyeth: Looking Out, Looking In presents some 60 watercolors, drawings, and tempera paintings completed after Wind from the Sea. In honor of the exhibition opening on May 4, 2014, curators Nancy K. Anderson and Charles Brock discuss Wyeth’s fascination with windows. During his long and productive career, the artist created more than 300 remarkable works that explore the formal and conceptual aspects of looking both in and out of windows. Spare, elegant, and abstract, these paintings are free of the narrative element inevitably associated with his better-known figural compositions. In the exhibition, works are grouped in suites of related images, illustrating the disciplined process of reduction and simplification that Wyeth consistently used in creating his window paintings. The resulting images are often rigorous in their formal construction but deeply personal in subject. The exhibition, organized by the National Gallery of Art, will be on view only in Washington through November 30, 2014.

Naomi Lyons and Jeremy Cox, trustees, Frederick & Frances Sommer Foundation; and Ksenya Gurshtein, Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow, National Gallery of Art. For the last five years, Jeremy Cox and Naomi Lyons have been building an online catalogue raisonné of American artist Frederick Sommer (1905-1999), whose work explored an unusually broad array of subjects ranging from disorienting landscapes and macabre aspects of the natural world to surreal arrangements of found objects and virtual abstractions. Ksenya Gurshtein curated the exhibition A World of Bonds: Frederick Sommer’s Photography and Friendships, on view at the National Gallery of Art from June 16 through August 4, 2013. Drawn largely from the Gallery’s collection, which includes significant works gifted by the artist himself in 1995, the exhibition showcased not only the beauty and diversity of Sommer’s striking images but put them in dialogue with the work of artist-friends who helped shape his vision. As a supplement to this temporary onsite exhibition, Gurshtein created a scholarly digital introduction to Sommer and his 35 photographs in the collection as a permanent feature of the Gallery’s website. In this lecture recorded on March 31, 2014, as part of the Gallery’s Works in Progress lecture series, Lyons, Cox, and Gurshtein reflect on their reasons for and experiences with using digital formats to produce scholarship, considering the ways in which they influence the knowledge available about a given artist, open up new ways of approaching and conveying a particular artist’s sensibility, and affect our experience of analog art.

Felix Monguilot Benzal, docent, Borghese Gallery, Rome, and Kress Interpretative Fellow (2012–2013), National Gallery of Art. In November of 1597, Doménikos Theotokópoulos (known as El Greco, 1541-1614) was commissioned to create a series of paintings for the recently built Capilla de San José (Chapel of Saint Joseph) in Toledo, Spain. Two of these paintings, Saint Martin and the Beggar (1597/1599) and Madonna and Child with Saint Martina and Saint Agnes (1597/1599), were later given to the newly created National Gallery of Art by Joseph E. Widener in August 1942, before its doors opened to the public. In this lecture recorded on March 24, 2014, as part of the Gallery’s Works in Progress lecture series, Felix Monguilot Benzal discusses the history of the Chapel of Saint Joseph and the full provenance of the Gallery’s two El Greco paintings.

Luis Alberto Pérez Velarde, curator, Museo del GrecoLuis Alberto Pérez Velarde, curator, Museo del Greco. Recorded on March 22, 2014, at the National Gallery of Art, this symposium explores the art and legacy of Doménikos Theotokópoulos (known as El Greco, 1541-1614). The 400th anniversary of the artist is being celebrated by exhibitions and programming throughout 2014. Born on the Greek island of Crete, El Greco spent the majority of his adult life in Toledo, Spain, and became known as the Greek from Toledo. An international panel of El Greco scholars provides an in-depth study of the artist’s career, focusing on his early years in Greece and Italy and his renowned work completed in Toledo. The Gallery is also presenting an exhibition titled El Greco: A 400th Anniversary Celebration from Washington Area Collections, on view from November 2, 2014, through February 16, 2015. This program was coordinated with and supported by SPAIN arts & culture.

Livia Stoenescu, visiting assistant professor, University of Houston-Clear Lake. Recorded on March 22, 2014, at the National Gallery of Art, this symposium explores the art and legacy of Doménikos Theotokópoulos (known as El Greco, 1541-1614). The 400th anniversary of the artist is being celebrated by exhibitions and programming throughout 2014. Born on the Greek island of Crete, El Greco spent the majority of his adult life in Toledo, Spain, and became known as the Greek from Toledo. An international panel of El Greco scholars provides an in-depth study of the artist’s career, focusing on his early years in Greece and Italy and his renowned work completed in Toledo. The Gallery is also presenting an exhibition titled El Greco: A 400th Anniversary Celebration from Washington Area Collections, on view from November 2, 2014, through February 16, 2015. This program was coordinated with and supported by SPAIN arts & culture.

Fernando Marías, professor of art history, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid-RAH, and exhibition curator of The Greek of Toledo, Museo de Santa Cruz, Toledo. Recorded on March 22, 2014, at the National Gallery of Art, this symposium explores the art and legacy of Doménikos Theotokópoulos (known as El Greco, 1541-1614). The 400th anniversary of the artist is being celebrated by exhibitions and programming throughout 2014. Born on the Greek island of Crete, El Greco spent the majority of his adult life in Toledo, Spain, and became known as the Greek from Toledo. An international panel of El Greco scholars provides an in-depth study of the artist’s career, focusing on his early years in Greece and Italy and his renowned work completed in Toledo. The Gallery is also presenting an exhibition titled El Greco: A 400th Anniversary Celebration from Washington Area Collections, on view from November 2, 2014, through February 16, 2015. This program was coordinated with and supported by SPAIN arts & culture.

Jeongho Park, Anne L. Poulet Curatorial Fellow, The Frick Collection. Recorded on March 22, 2014, at the National Gallery of Art, this symposium explores the art and legacy of Doménikos Theotokópoulos (known as El Greco, 1541-1614). The 400th anniversary of the artist is being celebrated by exhibitions and programming throughout 2014. Born on the Greek island of Crete, El Greco spent the majority of his adult life in Toledo, Spain, and became known as the Greek from Toledo. An international panel of El Greco scholars provides an in-depth study of the artist’s career, focusing on his early years in Greece and Italy and his renowned work completed in Toledo. The Gallery is also presenting an exhibition titled El Greco: A 400th Anniversary Celebration from Washington Area Collections, on view from November 2, 2014, through February 16, 2015. This program was coordinated with and supported by SPAIN arts & culture.

Felix Monguilot Benzal, docent, Borghese Gallery, Rome, and Kress Interpretive Fellow (2012 – 2013), National Gallery of Art. Recorded on March 22, 2014, at the National Gallery of Art, this symposium explores the art and legacy of Doménikos Theotokópoulos (known as El Greco, 1541-1614). The 400th anniversary of the artist is being celebrated by exhibitions and programming throughout 2014. Born on the Greek island of Crete, El Greco spent the majority of his adult life in Toledo, Spain, and became known as the Greek from Toledo. An international panel of El Greco scholars provides an in-depth study of the artist’s career, focusing on his early years in Greece and Italy and his renowned work completed in Toledo. The Gallery is also presenting an exhibition titled El Greco: A 400th Anniversary Celebration from Washington Area Collections, on view from November 2, 2014, through February 16, 2015. This program was coordinated with and supported by SPAIN arts & culture.

Anna Deavere Smith, actress, playwright, and director, Anna Deavere Smith Works at the Aspen Institute; Robert Storr, chairman of FAPE's Professional Fine Arts Committee and dean of the Yale School of Art; Carrie Mae Weems, artist. Moderated by James Meyer, associate curator of modern art, National Gallery of Art. In collaboration with the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies (FAPE), the National Gallery of Art hosted a panel discussion on the role of artists in international diplomacy on May 7, 2014. Robert Storrs presents an overview of FAPE’s recent acquisitions and installations for American embassies around the world. In a conversation moderated by Gallery curator James Meyer, actress and playwright Anna Deavere Smith and artist Carrie Mae Weems discuss the impact of creating and sharing their work in a global community.

Leo Rubinfien, photographer and guest exhibition curator of Garry Winogrand. In honor of the National Gallery of Art’s exhibition Garry Winogrand, Leo Rubinfien, a friend and protégé of Winogrand’s during the last decade of his life, delivers this opening day lecture on March 2, 2014. A renowned photographer of American life—particularly New York City—from the 1950s through the early 1980s, Winogrand (1928–1984) worked with dazzling energy and a voracious appetite. Rubinfien provides an introduction to Winogrand's body of work: its themes, its optimism and fatalism, and the turbulent years in which it developed. This first Winogrand retrospective in 25 years presents some 180 photographs, including iconic images and more than 60 never-seen-before prints and contact sheets. Together they reveal the full breadth of his art. Garry Winogrand is on view through June 8, 2014.

Alicia Walker, assistant professor of the history of art, Bryn Mawr College

Held in conjunction with the exhibition Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections, on view from October 6, 2013, through March 2, 2014, at the National Gallery of Art, this symposium takes its name and perspective from art critic and novelist John Peter Berger’s 1972 book Ways of Seeing. Noted scholars Glenn Peers, Bissera Pentcheva, William Tronzo, and Alicia Walker seek to place the Heaven and Earth exhibition objects in context by answering questions generated by Berger’s book: What world did these objects constitute in Byzantium and how did they form it? What values did they embody or create? How were they used and understood? Conversely what world do these objects constitute for us now? How do we understand them? And most important, then and now, are these works considered art? 

Glenn Peers, professor of art and art history, University of Texas, Austin. Held in conjunction with the exhibition Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections, on view from October 6, 2013, through March 2, 2014, at the National Gallery of Art, this symposium takes its name and perspective from art critic and novelist John Peter Berger’s 1972 book Ways of Seeing. Noted scholars Glenn Peers, Bissera Pentcheva, William Tronzo, and Alicia Walker seek to place the Heaven and Earth exhibition objects in context by answering questions generated by Berger’s book: What world did these objects constitute in Byzantium and how did they form it? What values did they embody or create? How were they used and understood? Conversely what world do these objects constitute for us now? How do we understand them? And most important, then and now, are these works considered art? 

Bissera Pentcheva, associate professor of art and art history, Stanford University. Held in conjunction with the exhibition Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections, on view from October 6, 2013, through March 2, 2014, at the National Gallery of Art, this symposium takes its name and perspective from art critic and novelist John Peter Berger’s 1972 book Ways of Seeing. Noted scholars Glenn Peers, Bissera Pentcheva, William Tronzo, and Alicia Walker seek to place the Heaven and Earth exhibition objects in context by answering questions generated by Berger’s book: What world did these objects constitute in Byzantium and how did they form it? What values did they embody or create? How were they used and understood? Conversely what world do these objects constitute for us now? How do we understand them? And most important, then and now, are these works considered art?

William Tronzo, visiting faculty, University of California, San Diego. Held in conjunction with the exhibition Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections, on view from October 6, 2013, through March 2, 2014, at the National Gallery of Art, this symposium takes its name and perspective from art critic and novelist John Peter Berger’s 1972 book Ways of Seeing. Noted scholars Glenn Peers, Bissera Pentcheva, William Tronzo, and Alicia Walker seek to place the Heaven and Earth exhibition objects in context by answering questions generated by Berger’s book: What world did these objects constitute in Byzantium and how did they form it? What values did they embody or create? How were they used and understood? Conversely what world do these objects constitute for us now? How do we understand them? And most important, then and now, are these works considered art? 

Richard L. Kagan, Arthur O. Lovejoy Professor Emeritus of History and Academy Professor of History, Johns Hopkins University. The 400th anniversary of the death of Domenikos Theotokopoulos, universally known as El Greco (1541-1614), is remembered at the National Gallery of Art with an exhibition of 11 paintings from the Gallery, Dumbarton Oaks, and the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC, and from the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore. With seven paintings by El Greco, the Gallery has one of the largest collections of his work in the United States, made possible by the generosity of early benefactors Andrew W. Mellon, Samuel H. Kress, Joseph Widener, and Chester Dale. Ignored for centuries, El Greco was rediscovered in Spain by Picasso and other artists at the close of the 19th century. His fame spread quickly to the United States, where artists, critics, and collectors regarded his idiosyncratic style of painting as a precursor of the latest trends in modern art. While El Greco continued to have his detractors, his popularity skyrocketed, leading to what some would label a cult. To honor the exhibition opening on November 2, 2014, Richard Kagan examines the craze for El Greco and how several of his masterpieces came to the Gallery’s collection. El Greco in the National Gallery of Art and Washington-Area Collections: A 400th Anniversary Celebration is on view through February 16, 2015.

Sharon E. J. Gerstel, professor of Byzantine art history and archaeology, University of California, Los Angeles. The Greek city of Thessaloniki was the Byzantine Empire’s second city, after Constantinople, in both wealth and size. In this lecture recorded on January 16, 2014, to celebrate the exhibition Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections, which is on view at the National Gallery of Art through March 2, 2014, Sharon Gerstel examines this moment of artistic creativity in Thessaloniki. The first-ever exhibition of Byzantine art at the Gallery presents some 170 works of art, many never before lent to the United States, including mosaics, icons, manuscripts, jewelry, and ceramics. Using the Heaven and Earth exhibition as a lens, Gerstel focuses on works produced in Byzantium’s second city—demonstrating their importance in their own time and their significance for generations that followed. This program was coordinated with and supported by Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection.

Shelley Sturman, senior conservator and head of the department of object conservation, National Gallery of Art. On the 100th anniversary of the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial dedication in Boston, artist Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ original plaster version of the bronze memorial was transferred to the National Gallery of Art for full conservation treatment. On long-term loan from the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish, New Hampshire, the magisterial Shaw Memorial (1883-1900) was previously restored many times and no longer resembled the artist’s original intentions.  In this lecture recorded on January 15, 2014, conservator Shelley Sturman reveals the long process of removing the nearly 12-by-18-foot relief sculpture from a concrete block wall, radiographing the sections, repairing cracks, analyzing the materials, preparing the appropriate decorative surface, realigning segments, and designing an appropriate mounting system for display in Washington; this treatment was performed by a team of conservators from Boston, the National Park Service, and the Gallery. Installation at the Gallery marks the ninth time that the Shaw Memorial has been dismantled and reassembled. An exhibition honoring the memorial and its inspiration on 20th- and 21st-century artists titled Tell It with Pride: The 54th Massachusetts Regiment and Augustus Saint-Gaudens' Shaw Memorial is on view through January 20, 2014.

Robert Ousterhout, professor of art history and director of the center for ancient studies, University of Pennsylvania. Organized to foster connections between the exhibition Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections at the National Gallery of Art and the research interests and collections of Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, this colloquium echoes the companion volume to the exhibition catalogue, Cities and Countryside in Byzantine Greece. Held on November 15, 2013, at the Gallery, American and Greek Byzantinists address the many ways community was visualized: in the arts (including mosaics, frescoes, icons, and everyday objects), in architectural construction, and in settings for the ceremonies of daily life and death. Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections is on view through March 2, 2014. This program is coordinated with and supported by Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection.

Kathan Brown, founding director, Crown Point Press. San Francisco’s Crown Point Press is one of the most influential printmaking studios of the last half century. The exhibition Yes, No, Maybe: Artists Working at Crown Point Press, on view at the National Gallery of Art from September 1, 2013, through January 5, 2014, features 125 working proofs and edition prints produced by 25 artists between 1972 and 2010. Yes, No, Maybe goes beyond celebrating the flash of inspiration and the role of the imagination to examine the artistic process as a sequence of decisions. Kathan Brown, founding director of Crown Point Press, offers an insider’s perspective to running this business—full of stories about art and artists—in this lecture recorded on December 8, 2013. Highlighting the exhibition’s major theme, Brown shares recordings of artists’ voices describing their working process: Robert Bechtle, John Cage, Chuck Close, Richard Diebenkorn, Tom Marioni, Chris Ofili, Kiki Smith, and Pat Steir. Brown also discusses her memoir, Know That You Are Lucky, drawing a connection between the creative process in printmaking and a meaningful life. (photo: Laurie Frankel)

Jeannene Przyblyski, provost and faculty, California Institute of the Arts. Organized in conjunction with Charles Marville: Photographer of Paris, this symposium held on December 6, 2013, at the National Gallery of Art offers new perspectives on art and urbanism in 19th-century Paris. An international panel of art, architectural, and literary historians address the transformation of 19th-century Paris in papers that focus on diverse topics including the representation of Parisian quarries in 19th-century photography, painting, and literature; the formative role of architect Gabriel Davioud in reshaping Paris; the use of photography to map the changing city; new modes of transportation that shape the experience and representations of the city;  the impact of 19th-century photography of Paris on 20th-century film;  and the relationship between Marville’s urban documentation and contemporary photographic practice. Charles Marville: Photographer of Paris is on view at the Gallery through January 5, 2014.

Nancy Locke, associate professor of art history, The Pennsylvania State University. Organized in conjunction with Charles Marville: Photographer of Paris, this symposium held on December 6, 2013, at the National Gallery of Art offers new perspectives on art and urbanism in 19th-century Paris. An international panel of art, architectural, and literary historians address the transformation of 19th-century Paris in papers that focus on diverse topics including the representation of Parisian quarries in 19th-century photography, painting, and literature; the formative role of architect Gabriel Davioud in reshaping Paris; the use of photography to map the changing city; new modes of transportation that shape the experience and representations of the city;  the impact of 19th-century photography of Paris on 20th-century film;  and the relationship between Marville’s urban documentation and contemporary photographic practice. Charles Marville: Photographer of Paris is on view at the Gallery through January 5, 2014.

Hollis Clayson, Samuel H. Kress Professor 2013–2014, Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, National Gallery of Art. Organized in conjunction with Charles Marville: Photographer of Paris, this symposium held on December 6, 2013, at the National Gallery of Art offers new perspectives on art and urbanism in 19th-century Paris. An international panel of art, architectural, and literary historians address the transformation of 19th-century Paris in papers that focus on diverse topics including the representation of Parisian quarries in 19th-century photography, painting, and literature; the formative role of architect Gabriel Davioud in reshaping Paris; the use of photography to map the changing city; new modes of transportation that shape the experience and representations of the city;  the impact of 19th-century photography of Paris on 20th-century film;  and the relationship between Marville’s urban documentation and contemporary photographic practice. Charles Marville: Photographer of Paris is on view at the Gallery through January 5, 2014.

Stéphane Kirkland, author, Paris Reborn: Napoléon III, Haussmann, and the Quest to Build a Modern City. Organized in conjunction with Charles Marville: Photographer of Paris, this symposium held on December 6, 2013, at the National Gallery of Art offers new perspectives on art and urbanism in 19th-century Paris. An international panel of art, architectural, and literary historians address the transformation of 19th-century Paris in papers that focus on diverse topics including the representation of Parisian quarries in 19th-century photography, painting, and literature; the formative role of architect Gabriel Davioud in reshaping Paris; the use of photography to map the changing city; new modes of transportation that shape the experience and representations of the city;  the impact of 19th-century photography of Paris on 20th-century film;  and the relationship between Marville’s urban documentation and contemporary photographic practice. Charles Marville: Photographer of Paris is on view at the Gallery through January 5, 2014.

Min Kyung Lee, assistant professor, Modern Architecture and Urban Planning College of the Holy Cross. Organized in conjunction with Charles Marville: Photographer of Paris, this symposium held on December 6, 2013, at the National Gallery of Art offers new perspectives on art and urbanism in 19th-century Paris. An international panel of art, architectural, and literary historians address the transformation of 19th-century Paris in papers that focus on diverse topics including the representation of Parisian quarries in 19th-century photography, painting, and literature; the formative role of architect Gabriel Davioud in reshaping Paris; the use of photography to map the changing city; new modes of transportation that shape the experience and representations of the city;  the impact of 19th-century photography of Paris on 20th-century film;  and the relationship between Marville’s urban documentation and contemporary photographic practice. Charles Marville: Photographer of Paris is on view at the Gallery through January 5, 2014.

Demetra Papanikola-Bakirtzi, director, The Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia. Organized to foster connections between the exhibition Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections at the National Gallery of Art and the research interests and collections of Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, this colloquium echoes the companion volume to the exhibition catalogue, Cities and Countryside in Byzantine Greece. Held on November 15, 2013, at the Gallery, American and Greek Byzantinists address the many ways community was visualized: in the arts (including mosaics, frescoes, icons, and everyday objects), in architectural construction, and in settings for the ceremonies of daily life and death. Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections is on view through March 2, 2014. This program is coordinated with and supported by Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection.

Eugenia Gerousi, director, Byzantine and Post-Byzantine antiquities, The Hellenic Ministry of Culture. Organized to foster connections between the exhibition Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections at the National Gallery of Art and the research interests and collections of Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, this colloquium echoes the companion volume to the exhibition catalogue, Cities and Countryside in Byzantine Greece. Held on November 15, 2013, at the Gallery, American and Greek Byzantinists address the many ways community was visualized: in the arts (including mosaics, frescoes, icons, and everyday objects), in architectural construction, and in settings for the ceremonies of daily life and death. Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections is on view through March 2, 2014. This program is coordinated with and supported by Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection.

Ioli Kalavrezou, Dumbarton Oaks Professor of Byzantine Art, Harvard University. Organized to foster connections between the exhibition Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections at the National Gallery of Art and the research interests and collections of Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, this colloquium echoes the companion volume to the exhibition catalogue, Cities and Countryside in Byzantine Greece. Held on November 15, 2013, at the Gallery, American and Greek Byzantinists address the many ways community was visualized: in the arts (including mosaics, frescoes, icons, and everyday objects), in architectural construction, and in settings for the ceremonies of daily life and death. Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections is on view through March 2, 2014. This program is coordinated with and supported by Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection.

 Panelists include Kerry James Marshall, artist; James Meyer, associate curator of modern art, National Gallery of Art; Mary Pattillo, Harold Washington Professor of Sociology and African American Studies, Northwestern University; Hortense J. Spillers, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor, English department, Vanderbilt University; Dan S. Wang, artist and writer. The central theme of the exhibition In the Tower: Kerry James Marshall, on view through December 8, 2013, at the National Gallery of Art, is the Middle Passage—the violent journey of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas during the colonial and antebellum periods—and its traumatic impact in the lives and memories of African Americans in particular. Marshall’s show begins with images of human beings and the open sea, of sailboats and an amusement-park water ride, evocative of the Middle Passage. Yet the exhibition also includes scenes of backyard pools, suburban lawns, and white picket fences, of children riding bikes and celebrating the Fourth of July. The memory of the slave ships seems remote from Marshall’s paintings of suburbs, part of the artist’s Housing series. In fact, all of these works examine the American Dream from an African American perspective: the middle-class children and adults depicted in these scenes are haunted by the memory of a trauma that they did not experience personally but which impacts them in ways that are not easily understood. In the art of Marshall, the past is never really past; history exerts a pressure, often unconscious, on the living. In this program recorded on October 27, 2013, Kerry James Marshall and exhibition curator James Meyer are joined by panelists Mary Pattillo, Hortense J. Spillers, and Dan S. Wang to discuss varying perspectives on race and class in contemporary America.   

Sarah Kennel, associate curator, department of photographs, National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art’s exhibition Charles Marville: Photographer of Paris, on view from September 29, 2013, through January 5, 2014, is the first retrospective exhibition in the United States on the renowned 19th-century French photographer Charles Marville (1813–1879). In this opening day lecture, Sarah Kennel discusses some of the 100 featured photographs that cover the arc of Marville's career, from his city scenes and landscape and architectural studies of Europe in the early 1850s to his compelling photographs of Paris and its environs in the late 1870s. The exhibition presents recent groundbreaking discoveries informing Marville’s art and biography, including the versatility of his photographic talents and his true identity, background, and family life.

Binh Danh, artist, and Robert Schultz, John P. Fishwick Professor of English, Roanoke College. Binh Danh and Robert Schultz discuss their collaborative word and image exhibition War Memoranda (forthcoming in 2015) in relation to the exhibition Tell It with Pride: The 54th Massachusetts Regiment and Augustus Saint-Gaudens' Shaw Memorial, on view at the National Gallery of Art from September 15, 2013, through January 20, 2014. In this conversation recorded on September 22, 2013, Danh and Schultz point to the question explored in common by the two exhibitions, namely, “How do we remember war?”  War Memoranda is inspired by Walt Whitman’s war poems and prose in in Drum Taps (1865) and Memoranda During the War (1875). Whitman serves as presiding spirit of the exhibition in which Danh and Schultz will bring together daguerreotypes, cyanotypes, and unique “chlorophyll prints” drawn from the Liljenquist Collection at the Library of Congress to contemplate landscapes, memorials, and Civil War portraits. The collaborators also plan to present memorials to wars in their lifetimes—in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan—applying the techniques and media employed by Whitman and the great Civil War photographers.  

Judith Brodie, curator and head, department of modern prints and drawings, National Gallery of Art, and Adam Greenhalgh, Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow, National Gallery of Art. On view at the National Gallery of Art from September 1, 2013, through January 5, 2014, Yes, No, Maybe: Artists Working at Crown Point Press features 125 working proofs and edition prints produced at this printmaking studio—one of the most influential of the last half century—by 25 artists between 1972 and 2010. The exhibition goes beyond celebrating the flash of inspiration and the role of the imagination to examine the artistic process as a sequence of decisions. In this lecture recorded on September 8, exhibition curators Judith Brodie and Adam Greenhalgh explain how the stages of intaglio printmaking reveal this process in very particular ways. Working proofs record occurrences both deliberate and serendipitous. They are used to monitor and steer a print’s evolution, prompting evaluation and approval, revision, or rejection. Each proof compels a decision: yes, no, maybe.

Anna Winestein, historian and executive director of the Ballets Russes Cultural Partnership. In conjunction with the exhibition Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes, 1909–1929: When Art Danced with Music, historian and executive director of the Ballets Russes Cultural Partnership Anna Winestein presented a lecture on August 10, 2013, about the contribution of Russian film professionals to Abel Gance’s legendary Napoléon. Parallels between the relationship of the Ballet Russes with European performing arts in the 1920s, and that of the Russian émigré film studio Albatros with European cinema were also explored.

Sarah Kennel, associate curator, department of photographs, National Gallery of Art. Sarah Kennel, National Gallery of Art curator behind the exhibit Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes, 1909–1929: When Art Danced with Music, discusses the critical reaction to the Rite of Spring at its 1913 Paris premiere in this lecture recorded on July 21, 2013. Kennel explores possible connections between the ballet’s choreography and contemporary dance practices that transformed popular culture in the first two decades of the twentieth century. Though on the surface the avant-garde choreography for the Rite of Spring seems wholly antithetical to the forms of popular dance, critics repeatedly invoked the same terms to describe the bodily movement in both dance styles. Furthermore, a choreographic analysis of the Rite of Spring reveals several moments in which Nijinsky appears to have “poached” certain movements from popular dancing, as well as from other movement traditions, including classical ballet, suggesting that the Rite of Spring’s modernism was partly shaped by a dialogue with mass culture.

Lynn Garafola, professor of dance, Barnard College, Columbia University. Bronislava Nijinska, the sister of famed ballet dancer and choreographer Vaslav Nijinsky, was a pioneer of the modern tradition of ballet. In spring 2013, Lynn Garafola was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship to support her research on Nijinska. In this lecture recorded on July 7, 2013, at the National Gallery of Art, Garafola shares her latest research and thoughts about how Nijinska's life and work not only illuminated modern ballet history, but 20th century culture as a whole. In 1913 Nijinska was evicted from her brother's production The Rite of Spring for getting married, an act that he perceived as a betrayal. Afterward, although she was no longer dancing for her brother, Nijinska still played a crucial role in the dissemination of modernism. The longevity of her career eclipsed that of her brother’s, and her work influenced numerous dancers and choreographers. Held in conjunction with the exhibition Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes, 1909–1929: When Art Danced with Music, on view at the Gallery from May 12 to October 6, 2013, this lecture was supported in loving memory of Shirley Casstevens.

Kerry James Marshall in conversation with James Meyer, associate curator of modern art, National Gallery of Art. Kerry James Marshall has exhibited widely in both the United States and abroad and is the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, among other honors. His work often explores the experiences of African Americans and narratives of American history that have historically excluded black people. Drawing upon the artist’s prodigious knowledge of art history and African diasporic culture, his paintings combine figurative and abstract styles and multiple allusions. In Marshall’s art, the past is never truly past: history exerts a constant, often unconscious pressure on the living. In this program recorded on June 26, 2013, Marshall discusses the works and themes of his exhibition In the Tower: Kerry James Marshall, on view at the Gallery from June 28 to December 7, 2013.

Sarah Kennel, associate curator, department of photographs, National Gallery of Art, and Jane Pritchard, curator of dance, Victoria and Albert Museum. The Ballets Russes was the most innovative dance company of the 20th century. Founded by Russian impresario Serge Diaghilev (1872–1929) in Paris in 1909, the company propelled the performing arts to new heights through groundbreaking collaborations between artists, composers, choreographers, dancers, and fashion designers. The National Gallery of Art’s exhibition, Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes, 1909–1929: When Art Danced with Music, on view from May 12 to September 02, 2013, showcases more than 150 original costumes, set designs, paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings, photographs, posters, and incorporates film clips in a theatrical multimedia installation. The exhibition was adapted from one conceived by and first shown at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in 2010. The Gallery’s Sarah Kennel provides an overview of the exhibition, followed by V&A’s Jane Pritchard, who discusses the history and artistry of the Ballets Russes costumes in a joint lecture recorded on June 2, 2013.

Sjeng Scheijen, postdoctoral researcher, Veni Laureate, Leiden University. This symposium and panel discussion recorded on June 1, 2013 at the National Gallery of Art honored the exhibit Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes, 1909–1929: When Art Danced with Music, on view from May 12 to September 2, 2013. Adapted from the exhibition conceived by and first shown at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in 2010, the presentation in Washington draws upon that rich survey, including some 80 works from the V&A’s renowned collection of dance artifacts, and adds about 50 objects generously offered by more than 20 lenders, private and public. The Ballets Russes combined Russian and Western traditions with a healthy dose of modernism, thrilling and shocking audiences with its powerful fusion of choreography, music, and design. Sarah Kennel, associate curator in the department of photographs at the National Gallery of Art, provides a welcome and introduces the first speaker, Sjeng Scheijen, a postdoctoral researcher at Leiden University.

Panel discussion follows with Juliet Bellow, assistant professor, department of art, American University; Sarah Kennel, associate curator, department of photographs, National Gallery of Art; and Jane Pritchard, curator of dance, Victoria and Albert Museum.

This symposium and panel discussion recorded on June 1, 2013 at the National Gallery of Art honored the exhibit Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes, 1909–1929: When Art Danced with Music, on view from May 12 to September 2, 2013. Adapted from the exhibition conceived by and first shown at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in 2010, the presentation in Washington draws upon that rich survey, including some 80 works from the V&A’s renowned collection of dance artifacts, and adds about 50 objects generously offered by more than 20 lenders, private and public. The Ballets Russes combined Russian and Western traditions with a healthy dose of modernism, thrilling and shocking audiences with its powerful fusion of choreography, music, and design. In this panel discussion, the lecturers are joined by Juliet Bellow, assistant professor, department of art, American University; Sarah Kennel, associate curator, department of photographs, National Gallery of Art; and Jane Pritchard, curator of dance, Victoria and Albert Museum.

Anna Winestein, executive director, Ballets Russes Cultural Partnership.
This symposium and panel discussion recorded on June 1, 2013 at the National Gallery of Art honored the exhibit Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes, 1909–1929: When Art Danced with Music, on view from May 12 to September 2, 2013. Adapted from the exhibition conceived by and first shown at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in 2010, the presentation in Washington draws upon that rich survey, including some 80 works from the V&A’s renowned collection of dance artifacts, and adds about 50 objects generously offered by more than 20 lenders, private and public. The Ballets Russes combined Russian and Western traditions with a healthy dose of modernism, thrilling and shocking audiences with its powerful fusion of choreography, music, and design. In this second lecture, Anna Winestein, executive director of the Ballets Russes Cultural Partnership, discusses the first American tour of the Ballets Russes.  

Wendy A. Cooper, Lois F. and Henry S. McNeil Senior Curator of Furniture, Winterthur Museum. This symposium honored the newly unveiled installation Masterpieces of American Furniture from the Kaufman Collection, 1700–1830, the first major presentation of early American furniture and related decorative arts on permanent public view in the nation’s capital. The installation highlights nearly one-hundred examples from the distinguished collection of George M. and Linda H. Kaufman, acquired over the course of five decades and promised to the National Gallery of Art. Academics and curators discuss the fine art of American furniture and decorative arts and its future study in these lectures recorded on March 22 and 23, 2013.

Mark Leithauser, senior curator and chief of design, National Gallery of Art. This symposium honored the newly unveiled installation Masterpieces of American Furniture from the Kaufman Collection, 1700–1830, the first major presentation of early American furniture and related decorative arts on permanent public view in the nation’s capital. The installation highlights nearly one-hundred examples from the distinguished collection of George M. and Linda H. Kaufman, acquired over the course of five decades and promised to the National Gallery of Art. Academics and curators discuss the fine art of American furniture and decorative arts and its future study in these lectures recorded on March 22 and 23, 2013.

Wendy Bellion, associate professor and director of undergraduate studies, University of Delaware. This symposium honored the newly unveiled installation Masterpieces of American Furniture from the Kaufman Collection, 1700–1830, the first major presentation of early American furniture and related decorative arts on permanent public view in the nation’s capital. The installation highlights nearly one-hundred examples from the distinguished collection of George M. and Linda H. Kaufman, acquired over the course of five decades and promised to the National Gallery of Art. Academics and curators discuss the fine art of American furniture and decorative arts and its future study in these lectures recorded on March 22 and 23, 2013.

Edward Cooke, chair and Charles F. Montgomery Professor of American Decorative Arts, Yale University. This symposium honored the newly unveiled installation Masterpieces of American Furniture from the Kaufman Collection, 1700–1830, the first major presentation of early American furniture and related decorative arts on permanent public view in the nation’s capital. The installation highlights nearly one-hundred examples from the distinguished collection of George M. and Linda H. Kaufman, acquired over the course of five decades and promised to the National Gallery of Art. Academics and curators discuss the fine art of American furniture and decorative arts and its future study in these lectures recorded on March 22 and 23, 2013.

Diane Waggoner, associate curator, department of photographs, National Gallery of Art, Jason Rosenfeld, distinguished chair and professor of art history, Marymount Manhattan College, Scott Allan, associate curator of paintings, J. Paul Getty Museum, Linda S. Ferber, vice president and senior art historian, New-York Historical Society, Cordula Grewe, associate professor of art history, Columbia University. Held in conjunction with the exhibition Pre-Raphaelites: Victorian Art and Design, 1848–1900, this symposium explored Britain's first avant-garde art movement in the context of other international modernisms. The young members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (formed in 1848) shook the art world of mid-19th-century Britain by rejecting traditional approaches to painting. Academics and curators consider modern art and craft movements in these lectures recorded on March 8 and 9, 2013. This program was coordinated with and supported by the Department of the History of Art, Yale University.

Sarah McPhee, Winship Distinguished Research Professor, Emory University. Costanza Piccolomini was Gianlorenzo Bernini’s beloved. His passion for this woman was so strong it inspired the sculptor to preserve her beauty in one of his most captivating portrait busts and to commission a violent crime against her. But until now, little has been known about the woman herself. In this lecture recorded at the National Gallery of Art on March 10, 2013, Sarah McPhee draws from the revelations of her new book, Bernini's Beloved: A Portrait of Costanza Piccolomini, to discuss the nature of Bernini’s artistry and the surprising life of this remarkable woman who forged a career as an art collector and dealer in the wake of their tempestuous affair.

Elizabeth Helsinger, John Matthews Manly Distinguished Service Professor, departments of English, art history, and visual arts, University of Chicago. Held in conjunction with the exhibition Pre-Raphaelites: Victorian Art and Design, 1848–1900, this symposium explored Britain's first avant-garde art movement in the context of other international modernisms. The young members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (formed in 1848) shook the art world of mid-19th-century Britain by rejecting traditional approaches to painting. Academics and curators consider modern art and craft movements in these lectures recorded on March 8 and 9, 2013. This program was coordinated with and supported by the Department of the History of Art, Yale University.

Morna O’Neill, assistant professor of 18th- and 19th-century European art, Wake Forest University. Held in conjunction with the exhibition Pre-Raphaelites: Victorian Art and Design, 1848–1900, this symposium explored Britain's first avant-garde art movement in the context of other international modernisms. The young members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (formed in 1848) shook the art world of mid-19th-century Britain by rejecting traditional approaches to painting. Academics and curators consider modern art and craft movements in these lectures recorded on March 8 and 9, 2013. This program was coordinated with and supported by the Department of the History of Art, Yale University.

Tim Barringer, Paul Mellon Professor of the History of Art and director of graduate studies, Yale University, Michael Hatt, professor of the history of art, University of Warwick. Held in conjunction with the exhibition Pre-Raphaelites: Victorian Art and Design, 1848–1900, this symposium explored Britain's first avant-garde art movement in the context of other international modernisms. The young members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (formed in 1848) shook the art world of mid-19th-century Britain by rejecting traditional approaches to painting. Academics and curators consider modern art and craft movements in these lectures recorded on March 8 and 9, 2013. This program was coordinated with and supported by the Department of the History of Art, Yale University.

Linda S. Ferber, vice president and senior art historian, New-York Historical Society. Held in conjunction with the exhibition Pre-Raphaelites: Victorian Art and Design, 1848–1900, this symposium explored Britain's first avant-garde art movement in the context of other international modernisms. The young members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (formed in 1848) shook the art world of mid-19th-century Britain by rejecting traditional approaches to painting. Academics and curators consider modern art and craft movements in these lectures recorded on March 8 and 9, 2013. This program was coordinated with and supported by the Department of the History of Art, Yale University.

Cordula Grewe, associate professor of art history, Columbia University. Held in conjunction with the exhibition Pre-Raphaelites: Victorian Art and Design, 1848–1900, this symposium explored Britain's first avant-garde art movement in the context of other international modernisms. The young members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (formed in 1848) shook the art world of mid-19th-century Britain by rejecting traditional approaches to painting. Academics and curators consider modern art and craft movements in these lectures recorded on March 8 and 9, 2013. This program was coordinated with and supported by the Department of the History of Art, Yale University.

Diane Waggoner, associate curator, department of photographs, National Gallery of Art, Jason Rosenfeld, distinguished chair and professor of art history, Marymount Manhattan College. Held in conjunction with the exhibition Pre-Raphaelites: Victorian Art and Design, 1848–1900, this symposium explored Britain's first avant-garde art movement in the context of other international modernisms. The young members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (formed in 1848) shook the art world of mid-19th-century Britain by rejecting traditional approaches to painting. Academics and curators consider modern art and craft movements in these lectures recorded on March 8 and 9, 2013. This program was coordinated with and supported by the Department of the History of Art, Yale University.

Scott Allan, associate curator of paintings, J. Paul Getty Museum. Held in conjunction with the exhibition Pre-Raphaelites: Victorian Art and Design, 1848–1900, this symposium explored Britain's first avant-garde art movement in the context of other international modernisms. The young members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (formed in 1848) shook the art world of mid-19th-century Britain by rejecting traditional approaches to painting. Academics and curators consider modern art and craft movements in these lectures recorded on March 8 and 9, 2013. This program was coordinated with and supported by the Department of the History of Art, Yale University.

Andrea Wolk Rager, assistant professor of art history, Case Western Reserve University. Held in conjunction with the exhibition Pre-Raphaelites: Victorian Art and Design, 1848–1900, this symposium explored Britain's first avant-garde art movement in the context of other international modernisms. The young members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (formed in 1848) shook the art world of mid-19th-century Britain by rejecting traditional approaches to painting. Academics and curators consider modern art and craft movements in these lectures recorded on March 8 and 9, 2013. This program was coordinated with and supported by the Department of the History of Art, Yale University.

Mia Fineman, assistant curator, department of photographs, Metropolitan Museum of Art. The urge to modify camera images is as old as photography itself—only the methods have changed. Faking It: Manipulated Photography before Photoshop is the first major exhibition devoted to the history of manipulated photographs before the digital age. The exhibition, on view at the National Gallery of Art from February 17 to May 5, 2013, offers a provocative new perspective on the history of photography. In this lecture recorded on February 24, 2013, exhibition curator Mia Fineman traces photographic manipulation from the 1840s through the 1980s and shows that photography is—and always has been—a medium of fabricated truths and artful lies.

Tim Barringer, Paul Mellon Professor of the History of Art and director of graduate studies, Yale University; Jason Rosenfeld, distinguished chair and professor of art history, Marymount Manhattan College; and Diane Waggoner, associate curator, department of photographs, National Gallery of Art. In this podcast recorded on February 17, 2013, at the National Gallery of Art, Tim Barringer, Jason Rosenfeld, and Diane Waggoner celebrate the opening of the exhibition Pre-Raphaelites: Victorian Art and Design, 1848–1900, the first major survey of Pre-Raphaelite art to be shown in the United States. The Pre-Raphaelites were a group of young artists who sought to overturn established traditions of painting and made art that looked to the past for inspiration, but also engaged directly with the bustling modern world of Victorian Britain. The exhibition features some 130 paintings, sculptures, photography, works on paper, and decorative art objects that reflect the ideals of Britain's first modern art movement. Pre-Raphaelites: Victorian Art and Design, 1848–1900 is on display through May 19, 2013.

Harry Cooper, curator and head, department of modern art, National Gallery of Art, with original slides courtesy of the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation © Estate of Roy Lichtenstein. On November 11, 1995, Roy Lichtenstein was in Japan to receive the Kyoto Prize from the Inamori Foundation. In accepting the award, he delivered a lecture on the evolution of his work since his Pop breakthrough of 1961. Thanks to the generosity of the artist's estate and foundation, Harry Cooper, the National Gallery of Art's curator of modern art, presented this lecture at the Gallery, with the original slides, on January 9, 2013—in honor of Roy Lichtenstein: A Retrospective, the first major exhibition of the artist's work since his death in 1997. The exhibition was on view at the Gallery from October 14, 2012, to January 13, 2013.

Alison Luchs, curator of early European sculpture, National Gallery of Art. Michelangelo created the statue now known as David-Apollo around 1530 to please the tyrannical governor of Florence, Baccio Valori. The double name of this unfinished work, which is on loan to the National Gallery of Art from the Museo Nazionale del Bargello in Florence, reflects contradictory evidence—both visual and documentary—concerning the subject. The graceful figure, its surface still veiled in chisel marks, embodies ambiguities and conflicts in Michelangelo’s own life. This lecture, recorded on January 27, 2013, at the National Gallery of Art, explores the mysteries surrounding the statue, the significance of its unfinished condition, and responses to it from later artists. The loan of David-Apollo opened the nationwide celebration 2013―The Year of Italian Culture.The sculpture is on view from December 13, 2012, to March 2, 2013.

Charles Ritchie, associate curator of modern prints and drawings, National Gallery of Art. While Ellsworth Kelly is best known for crafting pristine, monochrome shapes, he has periodically employed chance as a strategy in composing works. The series of 23 paper-pulp works featured in the exhibition Ellsworth Kelly: Colored Paper Images, on view at the National Gallery of Art from December 16, 2012, through December 1, 2013, is a dramatic example of this approach. Wet colored paper pulps were pressed into freshly made sheets of paper, resulting in color bleeds that eroded the precision of his designs. In this lecture recorded on February 10, 2013, Charles Ritchie investigates factors contributing to the success of this project—from Kelly’s improvisation on earlier motifs to print publisher Ken Tyler’s study of pigmentation in order to create strongly colored, lightfast paper pulps. Ritchie also discusses the expertise of veteran papermakers John and Kathleen Koller, who developed the paper for this project.

Wendy A. Cooper, Lois F. and Henry S. McNeil Senior Curator of Furniture, Winterthur Museum, University of Delaware. Curator Wendy A. Cooper celebrated the landmark installation of early American furniture and related decorative arts at the National Gallery of Art in this lecture recorded on October 28, 2012. The Kaufman Collection is one of the largest and most refined collections of early American furniture in private hands, acquired with great connoisseurship over five decades by George M. (1932-2001) and Linda H. Kaufman (born 1938). The collection, a gift promised to the Gallery in October 2010, comprises more than 200 works of art including American furniture, paintings, and works on paper. These fine examples of American decorative arts in the Kaufman Collection will be complemented by outstanding American paintings from the Gallery's own collection, including portraits by artists such as John Wollaston (active 1742/1775), Ralph Earl (1751-1801), and Gilbert Stuart (1755-1828). Located on the Ground Floor of the West Building, Masterpieces of American Furniture from the Kaufman Collection, 1700-1830 is the first major presentation of such objects to be on continuous public view in the nation's capital.

Gregory Jecmen, associate curator of old master prints and drawings, National Gallery of Art With a storied past and a strong imperial presence, Augsburg enjoyed a golden age in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, fostering artists such as Hans Burgkmair, Erhard Ratdolt, Daniel Hopfer, Jörg Breu, and Hans Weiditz. The artists flourished from about 1475 as the effects of the Italian Renaissance were first being felt, through the social, political, and religious upheavals of the Reformation, which took hold in 1537 following 20 years of struggle. In this paired lecture recorded on October 21, 2012, Gregory Jecmen explains this rich and varied history through more than 100 works featured in Imperial Augsburg: Renaissance Prints and Drawings, 1475-1540. Focusing on drawings, prints, and illustrated books mostly from the Gallery's own extensive collection, the exhibition- first of its kind in America- serves as an introduction to Augsburg, its artists, and its cultural history, during this period.

Harry Cooper, curator and head, department of modern and contemporary art, National Gallery of Art. Harry Cooper, the Gallery's consulting curator for Roy Lichtenstein: A Retrospective- on view from October 14, 2012 to January 13, 2013- presents an overview of the first major exhibition of the artist's work since his death in 1997. In this opening-day lecture recorded on October 14, 2012, at the National Gallery of Art, Cooper reviews some of the 136 works in the exhibition, including Lichtenstein's greatest paintings from all periods of his career, as well as drawings and sculptures. The retrospective presents Lichtenstein's expansive legacy- the classic early pop paintings based on advertisements, comic-book treatments of war and romance, versions of paintings by the modern masters, and series including Brushstrokes, Mirrors, Artist's Studios, Nudes, and Chinese Landscapes.

Mark A. White, Eugene B. Adkins Curator and Chief Curator, Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, University of Oklahoma. When George Bellows died at the age of forty-two in 1925, he was hailed as one of the greatest artists America had yet produced. The exhibition George Bellows, on view at the National Gallery of Art from June 10 to October 8, 2012, provides the most complete account of his achievements to date. Bellows was a leading figure in the generation of artists who negotiated the transition from the Victorian to the early modern era in American culture. In this public symposium, held in conjunction with the exhibition on October 5-6, 2012, and coordinated with the Columbus Museum of Art, curators and scholars examine the remarkable scope of Bellows' career and assess his contributions to the first wave of twentieth-century American modernism.

David Lubin, Charlotte C. Weber Professor of Art, Wake Forest University. When George Bellows died at the age of forty-two in 1925, he was hailed as one of the greatest artists America had yet produced. The exhibition George Bellows, on view at the National Gallery of Art from June 10 to October 8, 2012, provides the most complete account of his achievements to date. Bellows was a leading figure in the generation of artists who negotiated the transition from the Victorian to the early modern era in American culture. In this public symposium, held in conjunction with the exhibition on October 5-6, 2012, and coordinated with the Columbus Museum of Art, curators and scholars examine the remarkable scope of Bellows' career and assess his contributions to the first wave of twentieth-century American modernism.

Carol Troyen, Kristin and Roger Servison Curator Emerita of American Paintings, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. When George Bellows died at the age of forty-two in 1925, he was hailed as one of the greatest artists America had yet produced. The exhibition George Bellows, on view at the National Gallery of Art from June 10 to October 8, 2012, provides the most complete account of his achievements to date. Bellows was a leading figure in the generation of artists who negotiated the transition from the Victorian to the early modern era in American culture. In this public symposium, held in conjunction with the exhibition on October 5-6, 2012, and coordinated with the Columbus Museum of Art, curators and scholars examine the remarkable scope of Bellows' career and assess his contributions to the first wave of twentieth-century American modernism.

David Park Curry, senior curator of decorative arts and American painting and sculpture, The Baltimore Museum of Art. When George Bellows died at the age of forty-two in 1925, he was hailed as one of the greatest artists America had yet produced. The exhibition George Bellows, on view at the National Gallery of Art from June 10 to October 8, 2012, provides the most complete account of his achievements to date. Bellows was a leading figure in the generation of artists who negotiated the transition from the Victorian to the early modern era in American culture. In this public symposium, held in conjunction with the exhibition on October 5-6, 2012, and coordinated with the Columbus Museum of Art, curators and scholars examine the remarkable scope of Bellows' career and assess his contributions to the first wave of twentieth-century American modernism.

David C. Ward, historian and deputy editor of the Charles Willson Peale Family Papers, National Portrait Gallery. When George Bellows died at the age of forty-two in 1925, he was hailed as one of the greatest artists America had yet produced. The exhibition George Bellows, on view at the National Gallery of Art from June 10 to October 8, 2012, provides the most complete account of his achievements to date. Bellows was a leading figure in the generation of artists who negotiated the transition from the Victorian to the early modern era in American culture. In this public symposium, held in conjunction with the exhibition on October 5-6, 2012, and coordinated with the Columbus Museum of Art, curators and scholars examine the remarkable scope of Bellows' career and assess his contributions to the first wave of twentieth-century American modernism.

Rebecca Zurier, associate professor of the history of art, University of Michigan. When George Bellows died at the age of forty-two in 1925, he was hailed as one of the greatest artists America had yet produced. The exhibition George Bellows, on view at the National Gallery of Art from June 10 to October 8, 2012, provides the most complete account of his achievements to date. Bellows was a leading figure in the generation of artists who negotiated the transition from the Victorian to the early modern era in American culture. In this public symposium, held in conjunction with the exhibition on October 5-6, 2012, and coordinated with the Columbus Museum of Art, curators and scholars examine the remarkable scope of Bellows' career and assess his contributions to the first wave of twentieth-century American modernism.

Sean Wilentz, George Henry Davis 1886 Professor of American History, Princeton University. When George Bellows died at the age of forty-two in 1925, he was hailed as one of the greatest artists America had yet produced. The exhibition George Bellows, on view at the National Gallery of Art from June 10 to October 8, 2012, provides the most complete account of his achievements to date. Bellows was a leading figure in the generation of artists who negotiated the transition from the Victorian to the early modern era in American culture. In this public symposium, held in conjunction with the exhibition on October 5-6, 2012, and coordinated with the Columbus Museum of Art, curators and scholars examine the remarkable scope of Bellows' career and assess his contributions to the first wave of twentieth-century American modernism.

Sarah Kennel, associate curator, department of photographs, National Gallery of Art, and Ksenya Gurshtein, Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow, National Gallery of Art. To celebrate the opening of The Serial Portrait: Photography and Identity in the Last One Hundred Years at the National Gallery of Art on September 30, 2012, Sarah Kennel and Ksenya Gurshtein explored the role of seriality in 20th-century and contemporary photographic portraiture. On view through December 31, 2012, the exhibition features some 150 works by 20 photographers who transcend the limits of the single image by photographing the same subjects- "primarily friends, family, and themselves"- over the course of days, months, years, and even decades.

Judith Brodie, curator and head, department of modern prints and drawings, National Gallery of Art. In 1909 F. T. Marinetti's futurist manifesto appeared on the front page of Le Figaro; less than four years, later Pablo Picasso incorporated a fragment of real newspaper into a work of art. The modern mass-media newspaper had colonized fine art. The exhibition Shock of the News examines the many manifestations of the "newspaper phenomenon" from 1909 to 2009, a century during which major artists engaged in a vibrant and multifaceted relationship with the printed news by co-opting, mimicking, defusing, memorializing, and rewriting newspapers. In this podcast recorded on September 23, 2012, at the National Gallery of Art for the exhibition opening, Judith Brodie presents work by more than 60 European and American artists from Marinetti, Picasso, and Man Ray to Adrian Piper, Robert Gober, and Mario Merz.

Charles Brock, associate curator, department of American and British paintings, National Gallery of Art Curator Charles Brock discusses the National Gallery of Art's landmark exhibition George Bellows, the first comprehensive presentation of the artist's career in more than 3 decades. In this opening-day lecture recorded on June 10, 2012, Brock explores Bellows' paintings, drawings, and lithographs depicting tenement children, boxers, sporting events, family portraits, World War I subjects, Maine seascapes, scenes of Woodstock, NY, and the urban landscape of New York City. This exhibition, on view through October 8, 2012, charts the full range of Bellows' artistic achievement, represented by some 130 works arranged thematically and chronologically throughout 9 galleries.

Harry Cooper, curator and head, department of modern and contemporary art, National Gallery of Art. Prior to the exhibition opening of In the Tower: Barnett Newman on June 10, 2012, Harry Cooper discussed the 26-work installation by Barnett Newman (1905-1970) in this lecture recorded on June 4, 2012, as part of the Works in Progress series at the National Gallery of Art. Cooper describes Newman's childhood, artistic techniques, and evolution as an artist that ultimately led him to paint the 14 canvases of The Stations of the Cross, considered by many to be Newman's greatest achievement. This is the fifth show in a series installed in the Tower Gallery that focuses on developments in art since the mid-20th century. The centerpiece of the exhibition, Newman's famed Stations of the Cross, is brought to new light in the vaulting, self-contained space of the I. M. Pei-designed tower.

Jonathan Bober, curator and head of the department of old master prints, National Gallery of Art. The genius of Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione (1609-1664) is characterized by his thoroughgoing synthesis of other artists' styles, his incessant variations upon a relatively narrow range of subjects, and his profound influence upon later artists. In the National Gallery of Art exhibition The Baroque Genius of Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, on view from January 29 to July 8, 2012, Castiglione's works and comparative examples are presented side by side, underscoring the serial aspect of his creativity. In this lecture recorded on June 3, 2012, exhibition curator Jonathan Bober suggests that this creativity contradicts the division of Baroque style into "naturalistic" and "classical," and predicts critical aspects of contemporary art, including appropriation, crossing of boundaries, and variations on a theme.

Jaume Reus, art historian and curator . Catalan painter Joan Miró (1893-1983), celebrated as one of the greatest modern artists, combined abstract art with surrealist fantasy to create his lithographs, murals, tapestries, and sculptures for public spaces. Held on June 1 and 2, 2012, at the National Gallery of Art, this public symposium explored Joan Miró- his personal life, politics, art, and the impact that he had on other artists. This program was held in conjunction with the exhibition Joan Miró: The Ladder of Escape on view at the Gallery from May 6 to August 12, 2012, and was coordinated with and supported by the Institut Ramon Llull.

Maria Luisa Lax, curator and head of collections, Fundació Pilar i Joan Miró a Mallorca. Catalan painter Joan Miró (1893-1983), celebrated as one of the greatest modern artists, combined abstract art with surrealist fantasy to create his lithographs, murals, tapestries, and sculptures for public spaces. Held on June 1 and 2, 2012, at the National Gallery of Art, this public symposium explored Joan Miró- his personal life, politics, art, and the impact that he had on other artists. This program was held in conjunction with the exhibition Joan Miró: The Ladder of Escape on view at the Gallery from May 6 to August 12, 2012, and was coordinated with and supported by the Institut Ramon Llull.

Maria-Josep Balsach, professor of contemporary art, University of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. Catalan painter Joan Miró (1893-1983), celebrated as one of the greatest modern artists, combined abstract art with surrealist fantasy to create his lithographs, murals, tapestries, and sculptures for public spaces. Held on June 1 and 2, 2012, at the National Gallery of Art, this public symposium explored Joan Miró- his personal life, politics, art, and the impact that he had on other artists. This program was held in conjunction with the exhibition Joan Miró: The Ladder of Escape on view at the Gallery from May 6 to August 12, 2012, and was coordinated with and supported by the Institut Ramon Llull.

Charles Palermo, Alumni Memorial Term Distinguished Associate Professor of Art History, The College of William and Mary. Catalan painter Joan Miró (1893-1983), celebrated as one of the greatest modern artists, combined abstract art with surrealist fantasy to create his lithographs, murals, tapestries, and sculptures for public spaces. Held on June 1 and 2, 2012, at the National Gallery of Art, this public symposium explored Joan Miró- his personal life, politics, art, and the impact that he had on other artists. This program was held in conjunction with the exhibition Joan Miró: The Ladder of Escape on view at the Gallery from May 6 to August 12, 2012, and was coordinated with and supported by the Institut Ramon Llull.

Benet Rossell, artist. Catalan painter Joan Miró (1893-1983), celebrated as one of the greatest modern artists, combined abstract art with surrealist fantasy to create his lithographs, murals, tapestries, and sculptures for public spaces. Held on June 1 and 2, 2012, at the National Gallery of Art, this public symposium explored Joan Miró- his personal life, politics, art, and the impact that he had on other artists. This program was held in conjunction with the exhibition Joan Miró: The Ladder of Escape on view at the Gallery from May 6 to August 12, 2012, and was coordinated with and supported by the Institut Ramon Llull.

Harry Cooper, curator and head of modern and contemporary art, National Gallery of Art, and Matthew Gale, head of displays, Tate Modern. Celebrated as one of the greatest modern artists, Joan Miró (1893-1983) developed a visual language that reflected his vision and energy in a variety of styles across many media. On view at the National Gallery of Art from May 6 through August 12, 2012, the retrospective exhibition Joan Miró: The Ladder of Escape reveals the artist's politically engaged side. Harry Cooper, the Gallery's consulting curator for The Ladder of Escape, presented an overview of the exhibition's 120 paintings, drawings, sculptures, and prints in his opening day lecture, which is recorded in this podcast. Following the lecture, Cooper sat down with Matthew Gale, one of the exhibition's two organizing curators from Tate Modern, and discussed the creation and production of this landmark retrospective. The exhibition was organized by Tate Modern, London, in collaboration with Fundació Joan Miró, Barcelona, and in association with the National Gallery of Art.

Jean-Philippe Antoine, professor, department of visual arts, Université Paris 8. Scholars from around the world gathered at the National Gallery of Art to discuss Samuel F. B. Morse's newly conserved Gallery of the Louvre, which is on view at the National Gallery of Art from June 25, 2011, through July 8, 2012. In a 2-day public symposium, held and recorded on April 20 and 21, 2012, academics, conservators, and curators examined the historical context of the work, its conservation treatment, and the techniques used. This program was coordinated with and supported by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Richard Read, Winthrop Professor, School of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts, The University of Western Australia. Scholars from around the world gathered at the National Gallery of Art to discuss Samuel F. B. Morse's newly conserved Gallery of the Louvre, which is on view at the National Gallery of Art from June 25, 2011, through July 8, 2012. In a 2-day public symposium, held and recorded on April 20 and 21, 2012, academics, conservators, and curators examined the historical context of the work, its conservation treatment, and the techniques used. This program was coordinated with and supported by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

David Bjelajac, professor of art and American studies, The George Washington University. Scholars from around the world gathered at the National Gallery of Art to discuss Samuel F. B. Morse's newly conserved Gallery of the Louvre, which is on view at the National Gallery of Art from June 25, 2011, through July 8, 2012. In a 2-day public symposium, held and recorded on April 20 and 21, 2012, academics, conservators, and curators examined the historical context of the work, its conservation treatment, and the techniques used. This program was coordinated with and supported by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Alexander Nemerov, Vincent Scully Professor of the History of Art, Yale University. Scholars from around the world gathered at the National Gallery of Art to discuss Samuel F. B. Morse's newly conserved Gallery of the Louvre, which is on view at the National Gallery of Art from June 25, 2011, through July 8, 2012. In a 2-day public symposium, held and recorded on April 20 and 21, 2012, academics, conservators, and curators examined the historical context of the work, its conservation treatment, and the techniques used. This program was coordinated with and supported by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Catherine Roach, assistant professor, department of art history, Virginia Commonwealth University. Scholars from around the world gathered at the National Gallery of Art to discuss Samuel F. B. Morse's newly conserved Gallery of the Louvre, which is on view at the National Gallery of Art from June 25, 2011, through July 8, 2012. In a 2-day public symposium, held and recorded on April 20 and 21, 2012, academics, conservators, and curators examined the historical context of the work, its conservation treatment, and the techniques used. This program was coordinated with and supported by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Olivier Meslay, associate director of curatorial affairs, Dallas Museum of Art. Scholars from around the world gathered at the National Gallery of Art to discuss Samuel F. B. Morse's newly conserved Gallery of the Louvre, which is on view at the National Gallery of Art from June 25, 2011, through July 8, 2012. In a 2-day public symposium, held and recorded on April 20 and 21, 2012, academics, conservators, and curators examined the historical context of the work, its conservation treatment, and the techniques used. This program was coordinated with and supported by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Nancy Anderson, curator and head of the department of American and British paintings, National Gallery of Art, Andrew McClellan, professor and dean of academic affairs for arts and sciences, Tufts University. Scholars from around the world gathered at the National Gallery of Art to discuss Samuel F. B. Morse's newly conserved Gallery of the Louvre, which is on view at the National Gallery of Art from June 25, 2011, through July 8, 2012. In a 2-day public symposium, held and recorded on April 20 and 21, 2012, academics, conservators, and curators examined the historical context of the work, its conservation treatment, and the techniques used. This program was coordinated with and supported by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Peter J. Brownlee, associate curator, Terra Foundation for American Art. Scholars from around the world gathered at the National Gallery of Art to discuss Samuel F. B. Morse's newly conserved Gallery of the Louvre, which is on view at the National Gallery of Art from June 25, 2011, through July 8, 2012. In a 2-day public symposium, held and recorded on April 20 and 21, 2012, academics, conservators, and curators examined the historical context of the work, its conservation treatment, and the techniques used. This program was coordinated with and supported by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Franklin Kelly, chief curator and deputy director, National Gallery of Art, Lance Mayer and Gay Myers, independent conservators. Scholars from around the world gathered at the National Gallery of Art to discuss Samuel F. B. Morse's newly conserved Gallery of the Louvre, which is on view at the National Gallery of Art from June 25, 2011, through July 8, 2012. In a 2-day public symposium, held and recorded on April 20 and 21, 2012, academics, conservators, and curators examined the historical context of the work, its conservation treatment, and the techniques used. This program was coordinated with and supported by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Barbara von Barghahn, professor of art history, The George Washington University The Pastrana Tapestries are among the finest surviving Gothic tapestries in the world and are on view for the first time in the United States in the exhibition The Invention of Glory: Afonso V and the Pastrana Tapestries at the National Gallery of Art from September 18, 2011, through January 8, 2012. From Jan van Eyck's commemoration in Ghent of the 1415 conquest of Ceuta to Passquier Grenier's documentation in Tournai of the 1471 taking of Tangiers, Portuguese and Spanish art specialist Barbara von Barghahn considers "portraits of power" in the context of chivalric ideals; the imaging of triumph in the clash of arms; the palatine display of tapestries as a visual chronicle of a contemporary epic; and the fame accrued from the North African campaigns that initiated an age of navigation and a transformation of the medieval world picture in this lecture recorded on December 18, 2011.

Program: Music by Gershwin, Milhaud, Porter, Stravinsky, and other composers. To honor From Impressionism to Modernism: The Chester Dale Collection, violinist Bruno Nasta and pianist Danielle Hahn called upon clarinetist David Neithamer, bassist Jonathan Nazdin, and pianist Ronald Chiles to join them for performances of works that music historians now recognize as belonging to the "modern" period in music. The ensemble played a suite for violin, clarinet, and piano by Darius Milhaud; Stravinsky's famous Soldier's Tale; and a medley of songs by Gershwin and other Broadway composers, noting that Gershwin and Chester Dale knew each other personally.

Eleonora Luciano, associate curator of sculpture; Dylan Smith, Robert H. Smith Research Conservator; Naomi Remes, exhibition officer; Donna Kirk, senior architect and designer; Brad Ireland, publishing designer, National Gallery of Art. Gallery staff reveal behind-the-scenes stories from the making of Antico: The Golden Age of Renaissance Bronzes, a special exhibition organized in association with the Frick Collection on view at the National Gallery of Art from November 6, 2011, through April 8, 2012. This exhibition is the first in the United States devoted to the Mantuan sculptor and goldsmith Pier Jacopo Alari Bonacolsi, known as Antico (c. 1455-1528) for his expertise in classical antiquity. Antico also developed and refined the technology for producing bronzes in multiples. Antico's bronzes are so rare that the nearly 40 works--including medals, reliefs, busts, and the renowned statuettes--constitute more than three quarters of the sculptor's extant oeuvre. In this program recorded on November 20, 2011, Gallery staff explain the exhibition from the perspective of a conservator, curator, exhibition designer, exhibition officer, and publishing designer.

Mel Bochner, artist, in conversation with James Meyer, associate curator of modern and contemporary art, National Gallery of Art. Mel Bochner is one of the leading figures of conceptual and post-conceptual art. Between 1966 and 1968, he developed a series of portrait drawings based on the thesaurus. These works enlist a private language of synonyms and shapes to depict such contemporaries as Eva Hesse, Robert Smithson, and Sol LeWitt. In 2001, after a hiatus of more than three decades, Bochner again turned to the thesaurus to develop a series of paintings and drawings derived from everyday speech. Boldly colored and impressive in scale, these works are among the most ambitious of the artist's career. To mark the opening of the exhibition In the Tower: Mel Bochner, Bochner appears in conversation with exhibition curator James Meyer in this podcast recorded on November 9, 2011.

James Meyer, associate curator of modern and contemporary art, National Gallery of Art. In the Tower is a series of presentations of works by significant artists of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Held in the Tower Gallery of the East Building of the National Gallery of Art, the series has included installations of works by Philip Guston, Mark Rothko, and most recently, Nam June Paik. The newest presentation, by Mel Bochner, is the first by a living artist. Focusing on his famous Thesaurus portraits of the 1960s and his recent Thesaurus paintings and drawings, the exhibit explores Bochner's reexamination of his early conceptual practice during the last decade. Exhibition curator James Meyer discusses the show within the context of the In the Tower series and the broader arc of Bochner's career in this podcast recorded on November 6, 2011.

The Warhol: Headlines exhibition, on view at the National Gallery of Art from September 25, 2011, through January 2, 2012, defines and brings together works that Andy Warhol based largely on headlines from the tabloid news. Held in conjunction with the exhibition, this symposium features four lectures, each offering new perspectives from which to consider Warhol's multifaceted treatment of the media.

Peter J. Brownlee, associate curator, Terra Foundation for American Art Samuel F. B. Morse, best known for his role in the development of the electronic telegraph, began his career as a painter. One of his most important works, the newly conserved Gallery of the Louvre, is on view at the National Gallery of Art from June 25, 2011, through July 8, 2012, in the exhibition A New Look: Samuel F. B. Morse's "Gallery of the Louvre." In honor of the exhibition, curator Peter J. Brownlee utilizes facets of the painting's recent conservation as a jumping off point for a discussion of Morse's artistic training, his technique and experimental use of materials, and the theoretical underpinnings of and pictorial sources for his monumental painting.

Sarah Greenough, senior curator and head of the department of photographs, National Gallery of Art. In celebration of the exhibition opening, curator Sarah Greenough introduces Harry Callahan at 100 on view at the National Gallery of Art from October 2, 2011, through March 4, 2012. As Greenough notes, this exhibition celebrates the 100th anniversary of Callahan's birth in 1912. The exhibition explores all facets of Callahan's rich contribution to 20th-century American art from his earliest work made in Detroit during World War II, to photographs made in Chicago in the late 1940s and 1950s, to works made in Providence in the 1960s and 1970s, to his final pieces made during travels around the world in the later 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.

A two-time Pulitzer Prize winning author and recipient of the National Book Award, David McCullough discusses his new book, The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris. In this podcast recorded on September 26, 2011, at the National Gallery of Art, McCullough tells the story of America's longstanding love affair with Paris through vivid portraits of dozens of significant characters. Notably, artist Samuel F. B. Morse is depicted as he worked on his masterpiece The Gallery of the Louvre. McCullough spoke at the Gallery in honor of the exhibition A New Look: Samuel F. B. Morse's "Gallery of the Louvre," on view from June 25, 2011, to July 8, 2012. The exhibition and program were coordinated with and supported by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Molly Donovan, associate curator of modern and contemporary art, National Gallery of Art. In 1975 Andy Warhol wrote: "I'm confused about who the news belongs to. I always have it in my head that if your name's in the news, then the news should be paying you." True to form, this quote exemplified the many questions Warhol posed during his celebrated career. The exhibition Warhol: Headlines examines the media, methods, and messages of the news headlines. To mark the exhibition's opening day at the National Gallery of Art, curator Molly Donovan discusses some of Warhol's artistic practices in relation to the headline theme in this podcast recorded on September 25, 2011.

Christine Mehring, associate professor of art history and director of graduate studies, University of Chicago, and Stephen Vitiello, associate professor of kinetic imaging, Virginia Commonwealth University. Following the lectures is a conversation with Ken Hakuta, executor of the Nam June Paik estate, and Jon Huffman, curator of the Nam June Paik estate. Moderated by Harry Cooper, curator and head of modern and contemporary art, National Gallery of Art. Recorded on September 23, 2011, at the National Gallery of Art, as the exhibition In the Tower: Nam June Paik drew to a close, this symposium considers the work of this pioneer of new media from his earliest explorations of television to his later experiments with sound and video. This exhibition is the third installation for the In the Tower series, which presents work by significant artists of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The symposium was coordinated with and supported by the Embassy of Korea.

Program: St. John Passion by Johann Sebastian Bach. The Stanford University Chamber Chorale and Chatham Baroque. Picking up on a theme of the National Gallery exhibition The Sacred Made Real, which featured sculptures depicting the crucifixion of Jesus and the sufferings of Mary and the saints, the conductor of the Stanford University Chamber Chorale, Stephen Sano, led his group in singing selections from J. S. Bach's Saint John Passion for a concert at the Gallery in March 2010, while the exhibition was on view. Visitors reported being similarly moved by both the music and the art, though the art reflected religious life in 16th-century Spain and the music reflected religious life in 18th-century Germany.

Program: Music by Caldara, Gabrielli, Legrenzi, Vivaldi, and other Venetian composers. During the run of the exhibition Venice: Canaletto and His Rivals, the National Gallery presented four concerts of Italian music from the time of Canaletto (1697–1768), coinciding with the end of the baroque era in music. Venice was abounding with musical as well as artistic talent at this time, as attested by the large number of composers and the high quality of the music featured in these concerts.

Britt Salvesen, curator and head, Wallis Annenberg Photography Department and prints and drawings department, Los Angeles County Museum of Art. In his Prototypes series of photographs, Lewis Baltz represented the built environment of the 1960s and 1970s. He critiqued modernist aspirations while examining commercial realities. In this lecture recorded on June 5, 2011, at the National Gallery of Art, Britt Salvesen examines Baltz's work and several different visual sources available to him, from the Case Study houses as photographed by Julius Shulman to minimalist painting and sculpture, to Ed Ruscha and New Topographics. This lecture was presented in conjunction with the Gallery's exhibition Lewis Baltz: Prototypes/Ronde de Nuit, on view until July 31, 2011.

Michael Kahn, artistic director, Shakespeare Theatre Company, in conversation with Eric Denker, lecturer, National Gallery of Art, and Faya Causey, head of the department of academic programs, National Gallery of Art. Although he never traveled to Italy, William Shakespeare set many of his plays there. In this lecture Michael Kahn discusses many of Shakespeare's plays set in Italy, concentrating on The Merchant of Venice, which opened at the Harman Center for the Arts on June 21, 2011. This program, recorded on May 22, 2011, was organized in conjunction with the Gallery's exhibition Venice: Canaletto and His Rivals, on view from February 20, 2011, to May 30, 2011.

Program: Music by Arcadelt, Cara, Donato, Tromboncino, and others. The National Gallery of Art Chamber Players searched its repertoire for Italian 16th-century compositions that represent in music the mannerism that manifests itself in the art of Giuseppe Arcimboldo, which was showcased at the Gallery in the exhibition Arcimboldo, 1526–1593: Nature and Fantasy. The podcast includes music by Arcadelt, Cara, Donato, Tromboncino, and other composers. Their work, like that of Arcimboldo, is marked by ambiguity, virtuosity, and elegance.

Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., curator, northern baroque paintings, National Gallery of Art, Washington, and Pieter Roelofs, curator of 17th-century paintings, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. One of the leading painters of 17th-century Holland and a contemporary of Johannes Vermeer, Gabriel Metsu was a gifted visual storyteller who infused his narrative paintings with suspense, drama, and emotion. On the occasion of the first monographic exhibition of Metsu's work in the United States, Wheelock talks with Roelofs about the artist's ability to capture ordinary moments with spontaneity and unerring realism.

Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., curator of northern baroque paintings, National Gallery of Art; Pieter Roelofs, curator of 17th-century paintings, Rijksmuseum; and Adriaan E. Waiboer, curator of northern European art, National Gallery of Ireland. Curators Arthur Wheelock, Pieter Roelofs, and Adriaan E. Waiboer discuss the paintings of Dutch artist Gabriel Metsu. A contemporary of Johannes Vermeer, Metsu had the ability to capture ordinary moments in 17th-century Dutch life with sensitivity and realism. Recorded on April 22, 2011, this lecture was held in conjunction with the exhibition Gabriel Metsu, 1629-1667, on view at the National Gallery of Art from April 10 to July 24, 2011

Sarah Greenough, senior curator and head, department of photographs, National Gallery of Art, and Matthew S. Witkovsky, exhibition guest curator. Featured are some 50 Prototypes—on view together for the first time—and the mural-sized 12-panel color work Ronde de Nuit. Greenough and Witkovsky discuss the artist's interest in the postwar American landscape, as revealed in Prototypes, and his continuing preoccupation with industrially manufactured environments and how they are used to control contemporary society, as shown in Ronde de Nuit.

Venice during the time of Canaletto was examined in this public symposium held in conjunction with the Venice: Canaletto and His Rivals exhibition, on view at the National Gallery of Art from February 20 through May 30, 2011. Recorded on April 2, 2011, this podcast includes lectures by exhibition curators David Alan Brown, Dawson Carr, and Charles Beddington. Scholars William Barcham, Emanuela Pagan, and Oliver Tostmann are also featured.

Mary Morton, curator of French paintings, National Gallery of Art, and Belinda Thomson, exhibition guest curator. On the occasion of the exhibition Gauguin: Maker of Myth, Morton and Thomson discuss Gauguin's talent for storytelling across media through his remarkable works of Brittany and the islands of the South Seas.

Mary Morton, curator and head of the department of French paintings, National Gallery of Art, and Belinda Thomson, guest curator. Exhibition curators Mary Morton and Belinda Thomson mark the opening of the exhibition Gauguin: Maker of Myth in this lecture recorded February 27, 2011. On view at the National Gallery of Art from February 27 to June 5, 2011, the exhibition features nearly 120 works by Gauguin. Organized by Tate Modern, London, in association with the Gallery, the exhibition is the first major look at the artist's oeuvre at the Gallery since the blockbuster retrospective The Art of Paul Gauguin in 1988.

Charles Beddington, guest curator. Canaletto expert Charles Beddington marks the opening day of the exhibition Venice: Canaletto and His Rivals in this lecture recorded February 20, 2011. On view at the National Gallery of Art from February 20 to May 30, 2011, the exhibition features 20 of Canaletto's finest paintings of Venice alongside 33 paintings by his most important contemporaries, including Michele Marieschi, Francesco Guardi, and Bernardo Bellotto. Beddington explains that the exhibition is unique for revealing the rivalry between the artists by these side-by-side comparisons.

Program: Music by Laszlo Weiner and Ernst von Dohnányi. The National Gallery of Art Piano Trio joins forces with Hungarian violinist Vilmos Szabadi and violist Szilvia Kovács to perform music by Laszlo Weiner and Ernst von Dohnányi. The concert was a part of Extremely Hungary, a festival of art exhibitions, films, and concerts staged in New York City and Washington in 2009.

Held in conjunction with the exhibition American Modernism: The Shein Collection, on view at the National Gallery of Art from May 16, 2010, to January 2, 2011, this public symposium provides an analysis of the paintings, sculptures, and drawings created by the first generation of American avant-garde artists. In this podcast recorded on November 6, 2010, noted scholars Michael C. FitzGerald, Didier Ottinger, Debra Bricker Balken, Carol Troyen, and Jay Bochner present illustrated lectures that chronicle the advent of the modernist movement.

David Brown, curator, Italian and Spanish paintings, National Gallery of Art, and Sylvia Ferino-Pagden, curator, Italian Renaissance painting, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. Sixteen examples of the composite heads painted by the Italian Renaissance master Giuseppe Arcimboldo, bizarre but with scientifically accurate components, are on view together for the first time in the United States at the National Gallery of Art, Washington. On the occasion of the exhibition Arcimboldo, 1526-1593: Nature and Fantasy, David Brown and Sylvia Ferino-Pagden unravel the mysteries behind his work.

Mark Leithauser, senior curator and head of design and installation, National Gallery of Art, and Philip Haas, artist and filmmaker. American artist and filmmaker Philip Haas (b. 1954) has created a colossal fiberglass sculpture inspired by Giuseppe Arcimboldo's painting Winter (1563), on display at the National Gallery of Art as part of the exhibition Arcimboldo, 1526-1593: Nature and Fantasy. Leithauser discusses with the artist what prompted him to make this fascinating work of art.

Elizabeth Prelinger, Keyser Family Professor of Art History, Georgetown University, and Andrew Robison, senior curator of prints and drawings, National Gallery of Art. Elizabeth Prelinger and Andrew Robison, curators of the exhibition Edvard Munch: Master Prints, discuss how Munch ignored the artistic establishment to create his own vanguard of color printmaking. In this podcast recorded on September 26, 2010, at the National Gallery of Art, Prelinger and Robison consider the nearly 60 works in the exhibition and examine the evolution of printmaking throughout Munch's career, as he repeatedly revised his prints to reflect the broader and ever-changing world of art.

Program: Music by Glass and Szymanski. The Del Sol String quartet plays music by Philip Glass and Pawel Szymanski in honor of the exhibition The Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Collection: Selected Works. Two-time winner of the Chamber Music America/ASCAP First Prize for Adventurous Programming, the San Francisco-based Del Sol String Quartet has received enthusiastic response from critics and audiences for its lively interpretation of new music. Their concert at the National Gallery was presented in celebration of the Meyerhoff Collection and late twentieth-century American masters.

Andrew Robison, Andrew W. Mellon Senior Curator of Prints and Drawings, National Gallery of Art, and Elizabeth Prelinger, Keyser Family Professor of Art History at Georgetown University. Haunting images of love, attraction, alienation, death, and other universal human experiences permeate the work of Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. On the occasion of the exhibition Edvard Munch: Master Prints, Gallery curator Andrew Robison and guest curator Elizabeth Prelinger discuss the artist's stylistic approach to each of these themes.

Bill Morgan, writer and archivist Bill Morgan, the preeminent authority on the Beat Generation, discusses his work as the archivist and bibliographer for his personal friend, American poet Allen Ginsberg, on the occasion of the Beat Memories: The Photographs of Allen Ginsberg exhibition at the National Gallery of Art. In this podcast recorded on Sunday, July 11, 2010, Morgan explains that Ginsberg was either an archivist's dream come true or worst nightmare, since the poet saved everything from his childhood in New Jersey and took pictures of his friends, knowing that they were destined for fame. Through rarely seen archival material and photographs, Morgan chronicles Ginsberg's relationships, which began the Beat Generation.

Program: Music by Flagello and Ruggles. Pianist Peter Vinograde plays American music from the 1950s and 1960s in honor of the exhibition Looking In: Robert Frank's "The Americans."

Ruth Fine, curator of special projects in modern art, National Gallery of Art, and collectors Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Dorothy and Herbert Vogel have amassed one of the greatest collections of minimal, conceptual, and post-minimal art in the world, acquiring works by some of the most important contemporary artists of our time. Curator Ruth Fine spoke with the Vogels two years after they announced The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: Fifty Works for Fifty States project, which distributed their vast collection across the country for all to enjoy. In this podcast, the Vogels relate stories from the recipient museums and their special exhibitions celebrating the gifts.

Sarah Greenough, senior curator, department of photographs, National Gallery of Art, Washington, and Bill Morgan, author and Ginsberg archivist. In the early 1980s American poet Allen Ginsberg rediscovered his early photographs and negatives taken throughout the Beat movement. With encouragement from photographers Berenice Abbott and Robert Frank, he reprinted many of these works and made new portraits of longtime friends and new acquaintances, such as Francesco Clemente and Bob Dylan, adding extensive inscriptions by hand. In the second of this two-part podcast series, produced on the occasion of the exhibition Beat Memories: The Photographs of Allen Ginsberg, Greenough talks with Bill Morgan about cataloguing the poet's archives and his photographic contributions in the last 15 years of his life.

Sarah Greenough, senior curator, department of photographs, National Gallery of Art, Washington, and Bill Morgan, author and Ginsberg archivist. American poet Allen Ginsberg took occasional snapshots in the 1940s, but in 1953 he purchased a small, secondhand Kodak camera that he took with him everywhere. For the next decade, he made numerous portraits of himself and his friends, including the writers Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs, while also formulating and refining his poetic voice. In the first of this two-part podcast series, produced on the occasion of the exhibition Beat Memories: The Photographs of Allen Ginsberg, Greenough talks with Bill Morgan about the poet's role in documenting the Beat movement.

Program: Music by de Wert, Hacquart, Sweelinck, and other 17th-century composers performed by the National Gallery of Art Vocal Arts Ensemble and Chamber Players. The National Gallery of Art Vocal Arts Ensemble and Chamber Players perform 17th-century Dutch music in honor of the exhibition Jan Lievens: A Dutch Master Rediscovered.

Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., curator, northern baroque painting, National Gallery of Art, Washington, and Bianca du Mortier, curator of costume, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. In the second of this two-part podcast series, produced on the occasion of the first exhibition dedicated to Avercamp, Arthur Wheelock talks with curator Bianca du Mortier about Avercamp's 17th-century theatrical settings on ice, which not only depict a tremendous diversity of subjects but also record daily life during the Dutch Golden Age.

Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., curator, northern baroque painting, National Gallery of Art, Washington, and Pieter Roelofs, curator of 17th-century paintings, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. The vibrant and colorful paintings of Hendrick Avercamp transport us back to a time when Dutch rivers and waterways regularly froze in the cold of winter. In the first of this two-part podcast series, produced on the occasion of the first exhibition dedicated to Avercamp, Arthur Wheelock talks with curator Pieter Roelofs about Avercamp's winter landscapes, which bring to life the lively pastimes and day-to-day bustle of the Golden Age of the Dutch Republic.

Xavier Bray, assistant curator, European paintings, National Gallery, London, and David Brown, curator of Italian and Spanish painting, National Gallery of Art, Washington. In the second of this two-part podcast series, produced on the occasion of the exhibition, David Brown talks with curator Xavier Bray about the painters of 17th-century Spain and their quest for realism.

Xavier Bray, assistant curator, European paintings, National Gallery, London, and Mary Levkoff, curator of sculpture and decorative arts, National Gallery of Art, Washington. In 17th-century Spain, a new kind of realism in art emerged. In order to revitalize the Catholic Church, painters and sculptors worked together in an attempt to make the sacred as realistic and accessible as possible. In the first of this two-part podcast series, produced on the occasion of the exhibition, Mary Levkoff talks with curator Xavier Bray about the history, uses, and techniques of polychromed sculpture.

Xavier Bray, assistant curator, European paintings, National Gallery, London. The groundbreaking exhibition The Sacred Made Real: Spanish Painting and Sculpture, 1600-1700, a landmark reappraisal of religious art from the Spanish Golden Age, contains masterpieces created to shock the senses and stir the soul. In this podcast recorded at the National Gallery of Art on February 28, 2010, curator Xavier Bray discusses the conception and realization of The Sacred Made Real, which includes 11 paintings by Diego Velázquez, Francisco de Zurbarán, and others, displayed for the very first time alongside 11 of Spain's remarkable polychromed (painted) sculptures. Many of the sculptures have never before left Spain and are still passionately venerated across the Iberian Peninsula in monasteries, churches, and processions.

Program: Music by Stephen Hough. This piece of music, composed by Stephen Hough for the exhibition The Sacred Made Real: Spanish Painting and Sculpture, 1600–1700, is based on the 1605 Requiem by the great Spanish composer Tomás Luís de Victoria. Stephen Hough recast and reworked this requiem, reimagining its six voices for a string sextet. He selected five sections to make five movements: the fourth movement (Versa est) is a simple transcription with nothing altered; the first movement (Tadeat animum) takes the four-part original and floats it around the six instruments in antiphonal waves; the second movement (Kyrie eleison) keeps all the notes the same but changes their register–removing the linear mosaic of the vocal lines and making them soar and plunge in jagged, overlapping intervals. The third (Graduale) movement is more radically altered. The final, longest movement (Libera me) reproduces the polyphonic sections fairly faithfully, but takes the original plainsong interludes as if themes for variations in various modern styles.

Kimberly A. Jones, conservateur, département des peintures françaises, National Gallery of Art, Washington, et Chef Michel Richard de Citronelle et Central, à Washington, DC. Inspiré par l'exposition « De l'impressionnisme à Modernisme : La Collection Chester Dale », le chef célèbre Michel Richard a créé un menu spéciale des plats classiques de la cuisine française pour le Garden Café de la National Gallery. Dans ce podcast, produit pour célèbrer le Garden Café Français, Richard parle à Jones au sujet des peintures qui ont inspirées ce menu et son amour endurant de l'art.

Kimberly A. Jones, associate curator, department of French paintings, National Gallery of Art, Washington, and chef Michel Richard of Citronelle and Central in Washington, DC. Inspired by the exhibition From Impressionism to Modernism: The Chester Dale Collection, renowned chef Michel Richard created a special menu of classic French dishes for the National Gallery's Garden Café. In this podcast, produced to celebrate the Garden Café Français, Richard talks to Jones about the paintings that inspired this menu and his lifelong love of art.

Program: Music from the 19th century that explores "The Darker Side of Light." The National Gallery of Art Wind Quintet performs a concert in honor of The Darker Side of Light: Arts of Privacy, 1850–1900. The ensemble consists of flutist Sara Nichols, oboist Ronald Sipes, clarinetist Christopher Hite, bassoonist Danny Phipps, and French horn player Theodore Peters.

Maygene Daniels, chief of Gallery Archives, National Gallery of Art, and Franklin Kelly, deputy director, National Gallery of Art. The 1962 bequest of Wall Street investor Chester Dale made the National Gallery of Art one of the leading repositories in North America of French art of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The exhibition features some 80 of the finest European and American paintings that Dale and his wife Maud, an artist and critic, avidly assembled from the 1920s through the 1950s. In the second of this two-part podcast series, produced on the occasion of the exhibition, Franklin Kelly talks with archivist Maygene Daniels about the personalities behind this important collection.

Wall Street investor Chester Dale's 1962 bequest made the National Gallery of Art one of the leading repositories in North America of French art of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The exhibition features 81 of the finest European and American paintings that Dale and his wife Maud, an artist and critic, avidly assembled from the 1920s through the 1950s. In the first of this two-part podcast series, produced on the occasion of the exhibition, Franklin Kelly talks to curator Kimberly Jones about how these masterpieces come together as an extraordinary collection.

Sarah Kennel, associate curator, department of photographs, National Gallery of Art, Washington. The extraordinary range and complexity of the photographic process-from the origins of the medium in the 1840s to the advent of digital photography at the end of the 20th century-are explored in a comprehensive exhibition and accompanying guidebook. On the occasion of In the Darkroom: Photographic Processes before the Digital Age, Kennel talks to host Barbara Tempchin about the major technological developments in the 170-year history of photography.

Ruth Fine, curator of special projects in modern art, National Gallery of Art, Washington. The prints of Jasper Johns are heralded for their beauty as well as their conceptual and psychological complexity. A group of the artist's working proofs-prints pulled during the working process on which Johns made drawn and painted additions, recently acquired from the artist by the National Gallery of Art-are showcased here as independent works of art for the first time. On the occasion of the exhibition, curator Fine talks to host Barbara Tempchin about this extraordinary body of work.

Using a handheld 35 mm camera and available light, American photographer Robert Bergman spent nearly a decade making a series of large color portraits that address not only his subjects' physical presence but also their psychic states. To celebrate Bergman's first solo exhibition on November 1, 2009, Toni Morrison read her essay "The Fisherwoman," which was originally written for Bergman's book A Kind of Rapture.

Sarah Greenough, senior curator, department of photographs, National Gallery of Art, Washington, and photographer Robert Bergman. Using a handheld 35mm camera and available light, American photographer Robert Bergman spent nearly a decade making a series of large color portraits that address not only his subjects' physical presence but also their psychic state. On the occasion of Bergman's first solo exhibition, Greenough talks to the artist about his exceptional ability to reveal the common humanity of each of his subjects.

Peter Parshall, curator, old master prints, National Gallery of Art, Washington. In the private worlds of late nineteenth-century Paris, London, and Berlin, prints depicting mysterious and beautiful subjects were created for those collectors who kept their treasures compiled in albums, locked in cabinets, or displayed in quiet rooms. In this podcast produced on the occasion of the exhibition The Darker Side of Light: Arts of Privacy, 1850-1900, Parshall talks to host Barbara Tempchin about these highly engaging, beguiling works.

Margaret Morgan Grasselli, curator, old master drawings, National Gallery of Art, Washington. The National Gallery of Art's collection of French old master drawings is remarkable for its breadth, depth, and individual masterpieces. In the third Behind the Scenes podcast produced on the occasion of the exhibition Renaissance to Revolution: French Drawings from the National Gallery of Art, 1500-1800, Grasselli talks to host Barbara Tempchin about how this collection has grown since 1942.

Margaret Morgan Grasselli, curator, old master drawings, National Gallery of Art, Washington. The National Gallery of Art's collection of French old master drawings is remarkable for its breadth, depth, and individual masterpieces. In the second Behind the Scenes podcast produced on the occasion of the exhibition Renaissance to Revolution: French Drawings from the National Gallery of Art, 1500-1800, Grasselli talks to host Barbara Tempchin about the Gallery's exceptionally rich collection of 18th-century drawings by the major artists-Boucher, Fragonard, Greuze, and Watteau, among many others-each represented by several works of outstanding quality.

Program: Music from the 16th and 17th centuries that explores the theme of travel. National Gallery of Art Chamber Players perform a concert in honor of Fabulous Journeys and Faraway Places: Travels on Paper, 1450–1700. On this occasion, the ensemble includes tenor Wolodymyr Smishkewych, recorder virtuoso Kathryn Montoya, harpist Keith Collins, dulcian player Anna Marsh, viola da gambist Loren Ludwig, and harpsichordist Stephen Ackert.

Margaret Morgan Grasselli, curator, old master drawings, National Gallery of Art, Washington. The National Gallery of Art's collection of French old master drawings is remarkable for its breadth, depth, and individual masterpieces. In the first podcast produced on the occasion of the exhibition Renaissance to Revolution: French Drawings from the National Gallery of Art, 1500-1800, Grasselli talks to host Barbara Tempchin about delicate, rare works from the 16th century and extraordinary images of French classicism from the 17th century.

Alvaro Soler del Campo, Director de la Real Armería en Madrid y Conservador jefe, Patrimonio Nacional y el Chef José Andrés, propietario del Jaleo y THINKfoodGROUP. Inspirado por dos exposiciones en la Galería, Luis Meléndez: Maestro de los Bodegones y el Arte del Poder, Armadura Real y Retratos de la España Imperial, el galardonado chef José Andrés, creó un menu muy especial de platos españoles para el Garden Café España. En este podcast producido para inaugurar el Garden Café España, Alvaro Soler y el Chef Andrés discuten los pasados cinco siglos de tradiciones culinarias españolas que van desde el libro único de recetas del cocinero del rey Felipe II, a la variedad de deliciosos manjares en las pinturas de Luis Meléndez, que todavía gozamos hoy en dia.

Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., curator, northern baroque paintings, National Gallery of Art, Washington; Kenneth Slowik, artistic director, Smithsonian Chamber Music Society, and curator of musical instruments, Smithsonian Institution. Dutch artist Judith Leyster's 400th birthday is celebrated at the Gallery with an exhibition of 10 of her most engaging paintings, joined by some 20 paintings, works on paper, and musical instruments of the period. In the fourth podcast produced on the occasion of the exhibition, Wheelock talks to Ken Slowik about Leyster's love of music, the instruments she depicted, and various musical compositions of the age.

Alvaro Soler del Campo, director, Royal Armory Madrid, and chief curator, Patrimonio Nacional; José Andrés, chef and owner, Jaleo and THINKfoodGROUP. Inspired by two Gallery exhibitions-Luis Meléndez: Master of the Spanish Still Life and The Art of Power: Royal Armor and Portraits from Imperial Spain-renowned chef José Andrés created a special menu of signature Spanish dishes for the National Gallery's Garden Café. In this podcast, produced to celebrate the Garden Café España, Soler and Andrés discuss the past five centuries of Spanish culinary traditions, ranging from a rare book of recipes by the cook to King Philip II, still enjoyed today, to luscious food items in the paintings of Meléndez.

Alison Luchs, curator of early European sculpture, National Gallery of Art, Washington. Cool marble comes to life in the mesmerizing portraits of lovers, saints, and heroes by Venetian Renaissance sculptor Tullio Lombardo. In this podcast produced on the occasion of the first exhibition on the artist, Luchs talks to host Barbara Tempchin about Tullio's romantic approach to portraiture.

David Brown, curator of Italian and Spanish paintings, National Gallery of Art, Washington, and Alvaro Soler del Campo, director of the Royal Armory Madrid and chief curator at the Patrimonio Nacional. Rare suits of armor worn by Spanish kings and stunning portraits by masters such as Rubens and Velàsquez are considered on equal terms for the first time at the National Gallery of Art. In this podcast produced on the occasion of the exhibition, Brown talks to Alvaro Soler about how armor, tapestries, and portraits were used to cultivate the image of royal power in late 15th- to 18th-century Spain.

Gretchen Hirschauer, associate curator, Italian and Spanish paintings, and Catherine Metzger, senior conservator of paintings, National Gallery of Art, Washington. Delights of the Spanish table are exquisitely depicted by Luis Meléndez-the greatest still-life painter of 18th-century Spain. In podcast produced on the occasion of the exhibition, Hirschauer talks to paintings conservator Catherine Metzger about their recent technical examination of Meléndez's paintings, including some new discoveries.

Gretchen Hirschauer, associate curator, Italian and Spanish paintings, National Gallery of Art, Washington. Delights of the Spanish table are exquisitely depicted by Luis Meléndez-the greatest still-life painter of 18th-century Spain. In this podcast produced on the occasion of the exhibition, Hirschauer talks to host Barbara Tempchin about Meléndez's skill for rendering everyday objects with convincing detail, marvelous effects of color and light, and subtle variations in texture.

David Alan Brown, curator, Italian and Spanish paintings, National Gallery of Art, Washington. In April 2009, a violent earthquake shook the region of Abruzzo in Italy. The United States was among the first to offer assistance to the region. In gratitude, the Italian government has loaned the Beffi Triptych, a stunning early 15th-century altarpiece, to the National Gallery of Art. This podcast is produced on the occasion of the special installation in the Gallery's Italianate Rotunda. David Brown talks to host Barbara Tempchin about the triptych as one of the most important works from the National Museum of Abruzzo in the city of L'Aquila and about its survival.

Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., curator of northern baroque painting, National Gallery of Art, Washington, and Frima Fox Hofrichter, professor of the history of art and design, Pratt Institute, New York. Dutch artist Judith Leyster's 400th birthday is celebrated at the Gallery with an exhibition of 10 of her most engaging paintings, joined by some 20 works by 17th-century contemporaries, as well as musical instruments of the period depicted in the art. In the last of this three-part podcast, produced on the occasion of the exhibition, Wheelock talks to Leyster scholar Frima Fox Hofrichter about the important recurring theme of music in Leyster's work.

Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., curator of northern baroque painting, National Gallery of Art, Washington, and Frima Fox Hofrichter, professor of the history of art and design, Pratt Institute, New York. Dutch artist Judith Leyster's 400th birthday is celebrated at the Gallery with an exhibition of 10 of her most engaging paintings, joined by some 20 works by 17th-century contemporaries, as well as musical instruments of the period depicted in the art. In the second of this three-part podcast, produced on the occasion of the exhibition, Wheelock talks to Leyster scholar Frima Fox Hofrichter about Leyster's innovative painting technique and highly engaging compositions.

Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., curator of northern baroque painting, National Gallery of Art, Washington, and Frima Fox Hofrichter, professor of the history of art and design, Pratt Institute, New York. Dutch artist Judith Leyster's 400th birthday is celebrated at the Gallery with an exhibition of 10 of her most engaging paintings, joined by some 20 works by 17th-century contemporaries, as well as musical instruments of the period depicted in the art. In the first of this three-part podcast, produced on the occasion of the exhibition, Gallery curator Arthur Wheelock talks to Leyster scholar Frima Fox Hofrichter about the range of Leyster's work, beginning with her renowned Self-Portrait, c. 1632-1633, from the Gallery's permanent collection.

Judith Brodie, curator and head of the department of modern prints and drawings, National Gallery of Art, Washington. English artist Stanley William Hayter has been widely celebrated for his influence on creative printmaking in America and Europe. In this podcast, produced on the occasion of the Gallery exhibition Stanley William Hayter: From Surrealism to Abstraction, Judith Brodie talks to host Barbara Tempchin about the range of Hayter's work in the exhibition, including his surrealist engravings, linear abstractions inspired by motion and mathematics, and fully worked copperplates and plaster casts.

Matthew Witkovsky, chair and curator, department of photography, the Art Institute of Chicago. Jaromír Funke, a leading figure in Czech and Slovak photography between the world wars, blazed a path with his compatriots-a group of committed amateurs-toward photography as a modern form of art. In this podcast, produced on the occasion of the Gallery exhibition Jaromír Funke and the Amateur Avant-Garde, Witkovsky talks to host Barbara Tempchin about the Czech photographer's influential role in this movement.

Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., curator of northern baroque paintings, National Gallery of Art. The Dutch took enormous pride in their cities, which experienced unprecedented prosperity during the 17th century. A new genre of painting-the cityscape-emerged as images of towns and cities were captured in paintings, maps, atlases, illustrated books, and prints. In the third of this three-part Backstory podcast, produced on the occasion of the Gallery exhibition Pride of Place: Dutch Cityscapes of the Golden Age, Wheelock discusses daily life as depicted in cityscapes, from inside the domestic courtyard and bustling city-centers to urban life seen from beyond.

Photographer Robert Frank and Sarah Greenough, senior curator and head of the department of photographs, National Gallery of Art. Looking In: Robert Frank's The Americans, an exhibition organized by the National Gallery of Art, is the most comprehensive and in-depth exploration of the single most important book of photographs published since World War II. In this podcast of the annual Elson Lecture, recorded on March 26, 2009, Greenough speaks with the renowned photographer about his career before, during, and after The Americans.

Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., curator of northern baroque paintings, National Gallery of Art. The Dutch took enormous pride in their cities, which experienced unprecedented prosperity during the 17th century. A new genre of painting-the cityscape-emerged as images of towns and cities were captured in paintings, maps, atlases, illustrated books, and prints. In the second of this three-part Backstory podcast, produced on the occasion of the Gallery exhibition Pride of Place: Dutch Cityscapes of the Golden Age, Wheelock talks about the cities of the seventeen Dutch provinces and the artists who depicted them.

Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., curator of northern baroque paintings, National Gallery of Art The Dutch took enormous pride in their cities, which experienced unprecedented prosperity during the 17th century. A new genre of painting-the cityscape-emerged as images of towns and cities were captured in paintings, maps, atlases, illustrated books, and prints. In the first of this three-part Art Talk podcast, produced on the occasion of the Gallery exhibition Pride of Place: Dutch Cityscapes of the Golden Age, Wheelock discusses how Dutch politics and cartography influenced the cityscape.

Harry Cooper, curator, modern and contemporary art, National Gallery of Art For more than five decades Guston explored ways to paint, from the mural art of the Depression through midcentury abstract expressionism to a raw new imagery beginning in 1968. His shocking return to figuration in that year, influenced by comics and politics, paved the way for numerous developments in contemporary art. In this Backstory podcast, produced as the Gallery opens the first in a new series of special focus exhibitions, "In the Tower," Cooper talks to host Barbara Tempchin about the paintings, prints, and drawings on view, which chart Guston's career from 1949 to 1980.

Visitors will travel back in time to Dutch cities of the 17th century during 'Pride of Place: Dutch Cityscapes of the Golden Age,' on view February 1 through May 3, 2009, in the West Building, National Gallery of Art, Washington. The exhibition of 48 paintings and 23 maps, atlases, and illustrated books will offer a breathtaking survey of the Dutch cityscape, from wide-angle panoramas depicting the urban skyline with its fortifications, windmills, and church steeples, to renderings of daily life along the canals, in city streets, and in town squares.

The 50th anniversary of a groundbreaking publication will be celebrated in the nation's capital with the exhibition 'Looking In: Robert Frank's 'The Americans',' premiering January 18 through April 26, 2009, in the National Gallery of Art's West Building ground floor galleries. In 1955 and 1956, the Swiss-born American photographer Robert Frank (b. 1924) traveled across the United States to photograph, as he wrote, 'the kind of civilization born here and spreading elsewhere.' The result of his journey was 'The Americans,' a book that looked beneath the surface of American life to reveal a culture on the brink of massive social upheaval and one that changed the course of 20th-century photography.

Arthur Wheelock, curator of northern baroque painting, National Gallery of Art. Jan Lievens was a child prodigy, whose later career was marked by important civic and private commissions. Nevertheless, his name today barely registers in the public consciousness. In the third of this three-part Backstory podcast, produced on the occasion of the Gallery exhibition Jan Lievens: A Dutch Master Rediscovered, Wheelock talks about Lievens' success and legacy.

Arthur Wheelock, curator of northern baroque painting, National Gallery of Art. Jan Lievens was a child prodigy, whose later career was marked by important civic and private commissions. Nevertheless, his name today barely registers in the public consciousness. In the second of this three-part Backstory podcast, produced on the occasion of the Gallery exhibition Jan Lievens: A Dutch Master Rediscovered, Wheelock talks about changes in Lievens' style and the influence of Anthony Van Dyck.

Arthur Wheelock, curator of northern baroque painting, National Gallery of Art. Jan Lievens was a child prodigy, whose later career was marked by important civic and private commissions. Nevertheless, his name today barely registers in the public consciousness. In the first of this three-part Backstory podcast, produced on the occasion of the Gallery exhibition Jan Lievens: A Dutch Master Rediscovered, Wheelock talks about Lievens' early career and his relationship with Rembrandt.

Paul Zanker, professor of art history, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa. In this podcast, recorded on November 9, 2008, as part of the Sydney J. Freedberg Lecture on Italian Art series, Paul Zanker explains that for ancient Greeks, myths were stories of gods, heroes, and ordinary people who had religious authority. These stories and their artistic representations served as guides and models for living in varying circumstances. However, myths did not embody religious teaching or moral precepts for human behavior; these stories described fate-the highs and lows of being human-to which everyone could relate, and in which they could take comfort. Despite the cultural shifts of the Roman world, these ancient myths retained their purpose and impact in the art of Pompeii and other sites in Italy. This lecture coincided with the exhibition Pompeii and the Roman Villa: Art and Culture Around the Bay of Naples on view at the National Gallery of Art from October 19, 2008, to March 22, 2009.

Carol Mattusch, guest curator and professor, George Mason University. In the second century BC, Roman aristocrats began to build lavish seaside villas on the picturesque Bay of Naples-in the shadow of Mt. Vesuvius. In the fifth of this five-part Backstory podcast, produced on the occasion of the Gallery exhibition Pompeii and the Roman Villa: Art and Culture around the Bay of Naples, Mattusch talks to Tempchin about the impact the excavations of these ancient sites have had on the modern world.

Carol Mattusch, guest curator and professor, George Mason University. In the second century BC, Roman aristocrats began to build lavish seaside villas on the picturesque Bay of Naples-in the shadow of Mt. Vesuvius. In the fourth of this five-part Backstory podcast, produced on the occasion of the Gallery exhibition Pompeii and the Roman Villa: Art and Culture around the Bay of Naples, Mattusch talks to Tempchin about the Greek legacy in Roman culture.

=Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., curator of northern baroque paintings, National Gallery of Art, and Stephanie S. Dickey, Bader Chair in Northern Baroque Art, Queen's University. Recorded on October 26, 2008, this podcast celebrates the major international loan exhibition Jan Lievens: A Dutch Master Rediscovered, which was on view at the National Gallery of Art from October 26, 2008, to January 11, 2009. In the first of two lectures, Arthur Wheelock places Lievens in historical context—particularly in relationship to his friend and colleague from Leiden, Rembrandt van Rijn—and focuses on the evolution and character of Lievens' paintings. In the second lecture, Stephanie Dickey examines Lievens' remarkable achievements as a printmaker.

Carol Mattusch, guest curator and professor, George Mason University. In the second century BC, Roman aristocrats began to build lavish seaside villas on the picturesque Bay of Naples-in the shadow of Mt. Vesuvius. In the third of this five-part Backstory podcast, produced on the occasion of the Gallery exhibition Pompeii and the Roman Villa: Art and Culture around the Bay of Naples, Mattusch talks to Tempchin about the role of the dining room in a Roman villa.

The life and career of Jan Lievens (1607–1674), one of the greatest yet most enigmatic Dutch painters of the 17th century, is finally brought to light in the exhibition 'Jan Lievens: A Dutch Master Rediscovered,' on view at the National Gallery of Art in the West Building from October 26, 2008, through January 11, 2009.

Carol Mattusch, guest curator and professor, George Mason University. In the second century BC, Roman aristocrats began to build lavish seaside villas on the picturesque Bay of Naples-in the shadow of Mt. Vesuvius. In the second of this five-part Backstory podcast, produced on the occasion of the Gallery exhibition Pompeii and the Roman Villa: Art and Culture around the Bay of Naples, Mattusch talks to Tempchin about the sculptures and designs of the villas' gardens.

'Pompeii and the Roman Villa: Art and Culture around the Bay of Naples' presents some 150 works of sculpture, painting, mosaic, and luxury arts, most of them created before the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD. They include recent discoveries on view in the U.S. for the first time and celebrated finds from earlier excavations. Exquisite objects from the richly decorated villas along the shores of the Bay of Naples and from houses in the nearby towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum reveal the breadth and richness of cultural and artistic life, as well as the influence of classical Greece on Roman art and culture in this region.

Carol Mattusch, guest curator and professor, George Mason University. In the second century BC, Roman aristocrats began to build lavish seaside villas on the picturesque Bay of Naples-in the shadow of Mt. Vesuvius. In the first of this five-part Backstory podcast, produced on the occasion of the Gallery exhibition Pompeii and the Roman Villa: Art and Culture around the Bay of Naples, Mattusch talks to Tempchin about the vacationing Roman elite who inhabited this region.

John Elderfield, chief curator emeritus of painting and sculpture, Museum of Modern Art, New York. Museum of Museum of Modern Art curator John Elderfield, the organizing curator of the Martin Puryear retrospective exhibition, discusses the work of his friend Martin Puryear in this podcast recorded on September 28, 2008, at the National Gallery of Art. Puryear's oeuvre draws on forms inspired by a wide range of interests—including ornithology, falconry, archery, and objects of shelter—and incorporates not only traditional sculpture techniques but also processes associated with furniture making, boat building, and basketry, such as joinery and weaving. The artist's materials include a variety of woods, tar, wire, mesh, rawhide, and found objects.

Nancy Anderson, curator of American and British paintings, National Gallery of Art. George de Forest Brush (1854/1855-1941) combined extraordinary technical skills acquired during several years of studio training in Paris with firsthand experience living among the Arapahoe, Shoshone, and Crow Indians in Wyoming and Montana. In the second of this two-part Backstory podcast, produced on the occasion of the exhibition George de Forest Brush: The Indian Paintings, Anderson talks to Tempchin about the social and historical contexts of Brush's Indian paintings.

Nancy Anderson, curator of American and British paintings, National Gallery of Art. George de Forest Brush (1854/1855-1941) combined extraordinary technical skills acquired during several years of studio training in Paris with firsthand experience living among the Arapahoe, Shoshone, and Crow Indians in Wyoming and Montana. In the first of this two-part Backstory podcast, produced on the occasion of the exhibition George de Forest Brush: The Indian Paintings, Anderson talks to Tempchin about Brush's life and his legacy.

Ruth Fine, curator of special projects in modern art, National Gallery of Art, and John Elderfield, exhibition curator and chief curator emeritus of painting and sculpture, The Museum of Modern Art. Internationally acclaimed artist and native Washingtonian Martin Puryear creates monumental sculptures that recall architecture, craft traditions, and organic forms. In the second of this two-part podcast, produced on the occasion of the Gallery exhibition Martin Puryear, the two curators converse about Elderfield's own interpretation of the artist's sculptures.

Ruth Fine, curator of special projects in modern art, National Gallery of Art, and John Elderfield, exhibition curator and chief curator emeritus of painting and sculpture, The Museum of Modern Art. Internationally acclaimed artist and native Washingtonian Martin Puryear creates monumental sculptures that recall architecture, craft traditions, and organic forms. In the first of this two-part podcast, produced on the occasion of the Gallery exhibition Martin Puryear, Elderfield talks to Fine about working with the artist to develop this landmark show.

Photographer Richard Misrach and Sarah Greenough, senior curator of photographs, National Gallery of Art. Employing an aerial perspective, Richard Misrach instilled his monumental beach series with a sense of disquiet: with references to the horizon and sky eliminated, figures appear isolated and vulnerable. In the third of this three-part podcast, produced on the occasion of the exhibition Richard Misrach: On the Beach, Misrach and Greenough delve into the impact of new photographic technology on his art and the inspiration for his series.

Photographer Richard Misrach and Sarah Greenough, senior curator of photographs, National Gallery of Art. Employing an aerial perspective, Richard Misrach instilled his monumental beach series with a sense of disquiet: with references to the horizon and sky eliminated, figures appear isolated and vulnerable. In the second of this three-part podcast, produced on the occasion of the exhibition Richard Misrach: On the Beach, Misrach discusses the process by which he reached his current photographic style.

Photographer Richard Misrach and Sarah Greenough, senior curator of photographs, National Gallery of Art. Employing an aerial perspective, Richard Misrach instilled his monumental beach series with a sense of disquiet: with references to the horizon and sky eliminated, figures appear isolated and vulnerable. In the first of this three-part podcast, produced on the occasion of the exhibition Richard Misrach: On the Beach, he talks to Sarah Greenough about the influences and origins of his photographic career.

Fredrik Hiebert, National Geographic Archaeology Fellow and exhibition curator. In the last of this four-part podcast Fredrik Hiebert, exhibition curator and National Geographic Archaeology Fellow, talks to host Barbara Tempchin about the luxurious gold ornaments and jewelry found at Tillya Tepe on the eve of the Soviet invasion. Produced in conjunction with the exhibition Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul.

Fredrik Hiebert, National Geographic Archaeology Fellow and exhibition curator. In the third of this four-part podcast Fredrik Hiebert, exhibition curator and National Geographic Archaeology Fellow, talks to host Barbara Tempchin about the incredible discovery from Begram, a Silk Road merchant's warehouse with the contents found completely intact. Produced in conjunction with the exhibition Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul.

Ruth Fine, curator of special projects in modern art, National Gallery of Art. In this podcast recorded on June 22, 2008, for the Martin Puryear retrospective exhibition opening at the National Gallery of Art, curator Ruth Fine discusses the work of District of Columbia native Martin Puryear. The retrospective included 46 sculptures made between 1975 and 2007. The first exhibition in the Gallery's history to be installed in both the East and West Buildings, it provided a unique opportunity to view Puryear's sculpture in modern and classical settings. Fine discusses the installation process for Puryear's work at the Gallery, designed in collaboration with the artist, as well as the intentions behind the placement of sculptures.

Fredrik Hiebert, National Geographic Archaeology Fellow and exhibition curator. In the second of this four-part podcast Fredrik Hiebert, exhibition curator and National Geographic Archaeology Fellow, talks to host Barbara Tempchin about the Aï Khanum archaeological site and the impact of Alexander the Great on the region. Produced in conjunction with the exhibition Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul.

Richard Misrach, photographer. American photographer Richard Misrach's monumental color photographs explore the sublime beauty and inherent danger of the sea and its surroundings. In this podcast recorded at the National Gallery of Art on June 8, 2008, Misrach discusses the camera techniques he employed and the personal inspirations he drew upon to create the 19 color photographs, made between 2002 and 2005, featured in the exhibition Richard Misrach: On the Beach, on view at the Gallery from May 25 to September 1, 2008.

Fredrik Hiebert, National Geographic Archaeology Fellow and exhibition curator. Afghanistan was in ancient times the heart of the Silk Road, linking cultures from Asia to the Mediterranean. Many thought the country's extraordinary archaeological treasures had been stolen or destroyed during recent decades of conflict in the region, but in 2003 they were recovered intact. Some 230 of these artifacts are now on view in the exhibition Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul. In the first of this four-part podcast Fredrik Hiebert, exhibition curator and National Geographic Archaeology Fellow, talks to host Barbara Tempchin about the heroism displayed by the Afghan people who kept these treasures hidden for decades. They also discuss one of the oldest archaeological sites, Tepe Fullol.

Monumental color photographs explore the sublime beauty and inherent danger of the sea and its surroundings in the exhibition 'Richard Misrach: On the Beach,' on view in the photography galleries at the National Gallery of Art from May 25 to September 1, 2008. Drawn from one of Misrach's most recent series On the Beach, are 19 dramatic photographs—some as large as six feet high by ten feet wide. Major American photographer Misrach (b. 1949) is known for provocative work that addresses contemporary society's troubled relationship to nature, especially in the American West.

Ruth Fine, curator of special projects in modern art, National Gallery of Art, and collectors Dorothy and Herbert Vogel. Dorothy and Herbert Vogel have amassed one of the greatest collections of minimal, conceptual, and post-minimal art in the world, acquiring works by some of the most important contemporary artists of our time, including Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Sol LeWitt, Richard Tuttle, and Pat Steir. Curator of special projects in modern art, Ruth Fine, spoke with the Vogels shortly after they announced The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: Fifty Works for Fifty States project, which will distribute their vast collection across the country for all to enjoy. In the final part of this three-part podcast, the Vogels discuss the impact they hope their project will have on the arts nationwide.

Ruth Fine, curator of special projects in modern art, National Gallery of Art, and collectors Dorothy and Herbert Vogel. Dorothy and Herbert Vogel have amassed one of the greatest collections of minimal, conceptual, and post-minimal art in the world, acquiring works by some of the most important contemporary artists of our time, including Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Sol LeWitt, Richard Tuttle, and Pat Steir. Curator of special projects in modern art, Ruth Fine, spoke with the Vogels shortly after they announced The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: Fifty Works for Fifty States Project, which will distribute their vast collection across the country for all to enjoy. In the second part of this three-part podcast, the Vogels discuss their choice of the National Gallery of Art for their collection.

Ruth Fine, curator of special projects in modern art, National Gallery of Art, and collectors Dorothy and Herbert Vogel. Dorothy and Herbert Vogel have amassed one of the greatest collections of minimal, conceptual, and post-minimal art in the world, acquiring works by some of the most important contemporary artists of our time, including Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Sol LeWitt, Richard Tuttle, and Pat Steir. Curator of special projects in modern art, Ruth Fine, spoke with the Vogels shortly after they announced The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: Fifty Works for Fifty States Project, which will distribute their vast collection across the country for all to enjoy. In part one of this three-part podcast, the Vogels discuss how they met, and how they started collecting art.

Neal Turtell, executive librarian, National Gallery of Art. Artists in the 19th and early 20th century had access to more up-to-date information about art technique and technology than any generation before. Tools of the Trade-in the National Gallery of Art library-offers a fascinating look back in time. The display complements In the Forest of Fontainebleau: Painters and Photographers from Corot to Monet, a showcase of 19th-century landscapes created in the famous forest south of Paris. Executive librarian Neal Turtell talks with NGA Backstory host, Barbara Tempchin, about Tools of the Trade. Produced in conjunction with the exhibition In the Forest of Fontainebleau: Painters and Photographers from Corot to Monet.

Sarah Greenough, senior curator of photographs, National Gallery of Art, and Roger Taylor, professor of photographic history at De Montfort University, Leicester. Two methods of fixing an image dominated the early days of photography: the one-of-a-kind daguerreotype and the replicable calotype, which was made using paper negatives. In the second of this two-part episode, Gallery curator Sarah Greenough and Professor Roger Taylor of De Montfort University discuss some of the best calotypists, the subjects that fascinated them, and the slow death of the medium as it was supplanted by more popular photographic processes. Produced in conjunction with the exhibition Impressed by Light: British Photographs from Paper Negatives, 1840-1860.

Kimberly Jones, associate curator of French paintings, National Gallery of Art. At one time it was a royal hunting ground for kings and emperors, but in the 19th century, the Forest of Fontainebleau became a magnet for artists and tourists. It was the birthplace of impressionism, and its rugged features and old-growth forests provided artists with endless visually compelling scenes to paint and photograph. In this Backstory episode, curator Kimberly Jones and host Barbara Tempchin discuss the Forest of Fontainebleau and the important place it holds in the history of open-air painting. Produced in conjunction with the exhibition In the Forest of Fontainebleau: Painters and Photographers from Corot to Monet.

The quiet but significant revolution that was launched by artists working outdoors in 19th-century France is explored through some 100 paintings, pastels, and photographs as well as artist and tourist ephemera assembled for the exhibition 'In the Forest of Fontainebleau: Painters and Photographers from Corot to Monet' at the National Gallery of Art, East Building, from March 2 through June 8, 2008.

Charles Ritchie, associate curator of modern prints and drawings, National Gallery of Art, and Mary Lynn Kotz, Rauschenberg biographer. Robert Rauschenberg has consistently created vital art for more than 50 years. Now working from a wheelchair after a series of strokes, Rauschenberg continues to produce new art. In the last episode of this four-part series, Gallery curator Charles Ritchie and Rauschenberg biographer Mary Lynn Kotz discuss his current work-the Lotus series-and reveal how his ROCI series got its name. Produced in conjunction with the exhibition Let the World In: Prints by Robert Rauschenberg from the National Gallery of Art and Related Collections.

Charles Ritchie, associate curator of modern prints and drawings, National Gallery of Art, and Mary Lynn Kotz, Rauschenberg biographer. Robert Rauschenberg has consistently created vital art for more than 50 years and family relationships have been influential. In the third episode of this four-part series, Gallery curator Charles Ritchie and Rauschenberg biographer Mary Lynn Kotz discuss the role that the artist's parents played in his becoming an artist, and how his strained relationship with his father affected his art. Produced in conjunction with the exhibition Let the World In: Prints by Robert Rauschenberg from the National Gallery of Art and Related Collections.

Charles Ritchie, associate curator of modern prints and drawings, National Gallery of Art, and Mary Lynn Kotz, Rauschenberg biographer. Robert Rauschenberg has consistently created vital art for more than 50 years. Everything from newspaper clippings to family images is crucial to his work. In the second episode of this four-part series, Gallery curator Charles Ritchie and Rauschenberg biographer May Lynn Kotz discuss how Rauschenberg's art has always incorporated both personal and global references. Produced in conjunction with the exhibition Let the World In: Prints by Robert Rauschenberg from the National Gallery of Art and Related Collections.

Charles Ritchie, associate curator of modern prints and drawings, National Gallery of Art, and Mary Lynn Kotz, Rauschenberg biographer. Robert Rauschenberg has consistently created vital art for more than 50 years. In the first episode of this four-part series, Gallery curator Charles Ritchie and Rauschenberg biographer Mary Lynn Kotz discuss why the artist chose printmaking as a favorite medium and why collaboration has been central to his creative process. Produced in conjunction with the exhibition Let the World In: Prints by Robert Rauschenberg from the National Gallery of Art and Related Collections.

Nicholas Penny, senior curator of sculpture and decorative arts, National Gallery of Art, and Dylan Smith, Robert H. Smith Research Conservator, National Gallery of Art. Robert H. Smith has amassed one of the most important private collections of Renaissance sculptures in the world. The Smith collection includes bronzes by masters such as Antico, Giovanni Bologna, and Antonio Susini, as well as eye-catching works in ivory and boxwood. Nicholas Penny-in his last podcast as National Gallery of Art curator of sculpture and decorative arts before he assumes directorship of the National Gallery, London-talks to Robert H. Smith Research Conservator Dylan Smith about these beautiful works of art, their composition, and how they were made.

Franklin Kelly, senior curator of American and British paintings, National Gallery of Art. On view from July 3, 2005 through February 26, 2006, Winslow Homer in the National Gallery of Art presented a survey of 53 paintings, watercolors, drawings, etchings, and wood engravings by American artist Winslow Homer (1836-1910) in the Gallery’s collection. The exhibition spanned Homer's entire career, from his early Civil War painting Home Sweet Home (c. 1863) to late watercolors of tropical landscapes and his hunting scene Right and Left (1909), completed less than 2 years before his death. In this lecture recorded on January 8, 2006, Franklin Kelly describes the importance of the Maine coast in Homer’s life and art. Homer spent his last 27 years living and working in a small, rugged spot called Prouts Neck, located on the Atlantic coast in southern Maine. Through works featured in the exhibition and archival photographs, Kelly illustrates how the Maine coast was an inspiring source of material to Homer throughout his career.

Neal Turtell, executive librarian, National Gallery of Art. Most people think that rare books are stashed away in the corners of museums, untouched and collecting dust. At the National Gallery of Art, not only are they given a special climate-controlled environment, but they're often on public display. In this podcast, executive librarian Neal Turtell talks to host Barbara Tempchin about the Gallery's rare books collection, in particular about those featured in the exhibition British Picturesque Landscapes, on view in the Gallery's West Building through February 24, 2008.

Charles Ritchie, associate curator of modern prints and drawings, National Gallery of Art, Host: Barbara Tempchin. Robert Rauschenberg has been at the forefront of American art for more than 50 years. His bold, innovative experiments in printmaking are the focus of an exhibition called Let the World In: Prints by Robert Rauschenberg from the National Gallery of Art and Related Collections. In this Backstory, host Barbara Tempchin and Charles Ritchie, exhibition curator, discuss the impact Rauschenberg's prints have had on artists worldwide. Produced in conjunction with the exhibition Let the World In: Prints by Robert Rauschenberg from the National Gallery of Art and Related Collections.

Ian Warrell, curator of 18th- and 19th-century British art, Tate Britain, London, and Franklin Kelly, senior curator, National Gallery of Art. In this two-part podcast, Franklin Kelly, National Gallery of Art senior curator, and Tate Museum curator Ian Warrell discuss the life and work of J. M. W. Turner. Here, focusing on Turner's inventiveness, they talk about how the artist positioned himself within the history of art, the range of his subjects, and his open-ended process of discovery. In part 1, they discuss Turner's process.

Ian Warrell, curator of 18th- and 19th-century British art, Tate Britain, London, and Franklin Kelly, senior curator, National Gallery of Art. In this two-part podcast, Franklin Kelly, National Gallery of Art senior curator, and Tate Museum curator Ian Warrell discuss the life and work of J.M.W. Turner. Here, focusing on Turner's process, they talk about the artist's use of sketchbooks and observation, his dramatic series of works depicting the burning of the Houses of Parliament, and his modernist aesthetic. In part 2, they discuss Turner's inventiveness.

Renowned for his paintings, Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) is equally regarded for his extraordinary accomplishment as a graphic artist. In his own time, his fame derived from his etchings as much as from his paintings. In celebration of the 400th anniversary of Rembrandt's birth, the National Gallery of Art is presenting 'Strokes of Genius: Rembrandt's Prints and Drawings.' The exhibition of approximately 190 masterworks from the Gallery's collection is on view in the West Building November 19 through March 18, 2007.

Franklin Kelly, senior curator of American and British paintings, National Gallery of Art, Host: Barbara Tempchin. J. M. W. Turner's innovative paintings and watercolors have fascinated collectors and artists for almost two centuries. In the United States, the British master's works were received with a sense of amazement, and eventually, with widespread admiration. Curator Franklin Kelly chats with host Barbara Tempchin about the impact that Turner had on American art.

Robert E. Jackson, collector, and Sarah Greenough, senior curator of photographs, National Gallery of Art. Robert E. Jackson has been collecting other people's snapshots for more than a decade. Some of the best works in his collection are on display in The Art of the American Snapshot, 1888-1978. In this podcast Jackson and Sarah Greenough, senior curator of photographs, talk about why he collects snapshots and what makes an image capture his attention.

Robert Rauschenberg's boundless experimentation and his rich collaborations with talented printers will provide the focus for 'Let the World In: Prints by Robert Rauschenberg from the National Gallery of Art and Related Collections.' The exhibition will present 58 outstanding prints, including some never before seen in a museum, on view at the National Gallery of Art, October 28, 2007, through March 30, 2008, in the Gallery's West Building prints and drawings galleries.

Sarah Greenough, senior curator of photographs, National Gallery of Art. Since the first Kodak camera was sold in 1888, American amateur photographers have taken billions of snapshots. In this Backstory episode, curator Sarah Greenough and host Barbara Tempchin discuss how anonymous photographers experimented with the medium, creating artfully crafted images. They also talk about the exhibition The Art of the American Snapshot, 1888-1978: From the Collection of Robert E. Jackson.

The range and creativity of amateur photography in the United States is revealed in approximately 200 anonymous works in the exhibition 'The Art of the American Snapshot, 1888–1978: From the Collection of Robert E. Jackson.' It is the first major exhibition, accompanied by a scholarly catalogue, to examine the evolution of snapshot imagery in America. The show begins with the invention of the Kodak camera in 1888 and extends through the 1970s, tracing a rich vocabulary of shared subjects, approaches, and styles.

Carol Troyen, curator emerita at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Edward Hopper's depictions of 20th-century America continue to engage and fascinate the public. Shortly after the opening of the Edward Hopper exhibition at the National Gallery of Art, Deputy Director Alan Shestack spoke with Carol Troyen, curator emerita at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, about Hopper's captivating paintings and etchings. They also discuss the theme of solitude prevalent in his works.

The largest retrospective ever presented in the United States of the career of 'J.M.W. Turner (1775–1851),' one of the greatest landscape painters in the history of art, will premiere at the National Gallery of Art in Washington. The exhibition of some 146 works, divided almost evenly between oils and works on paper, will include many masterworks that have never been shown in the United States. Turner's extensive range of subjects—including seascapes, topographical views, historical events, mythology, modern life, and scenes drawn from his own fertile imagination—will be represented.

The largest retrospective ever presented in the United States of the career of 'J.M.W. Turner (1775–1851),' one of the greatest landscape painters in the history of art, will premiere at the National Gallery of Art in Washington. The exhibition of some 146 works, divided almost evenly between oils and works on paper, will include many masterworks that have never been shown in the United States. Turner's extensive range of subjects—including seascapes, topographical views, historical events, mythology, modern life, and scenes drawn from his own fertile imagination—will be represented.

'Edward Hopper' marks the first time in more than 25 years that a comprehensive exhibition of this great artist's work has been seen in American museums outside New York and is the most complete survey of his career ever presented in Washington. The exhibition of 96 paintings and works on paper focuses on the period of the artist's great achievements—from about 1925 to mid century—when he produced such iconic paintings as Automat (1927), Drug Store (1927), 'Early Sunday Morning' (1930), 'New York Movie' (1939), and 'Nighthawks' (1942).

'Edward Hopper' marks the first time in more than 25 years that a comprehensive exhibition of this great artist's work has been seen in American museums outside New York and is the most complete survey of his career ever presented in Washington. The exhibition of 96 paintings and works on paper focuses on the period of the artist's great achievements—from about 1925 to mid century—when he produced such iconic paintings as Automat (1927), Drug Store (1927), 'Early Sunday Morning' (1930), 'New York Movie' (1939), and 'Nighthawks' (1942).

'Edward Hopper' marks the first time in more than 25 years that a comprehensive exhibition of this great artist's work has been seen in American museums outside New York and is the most complete survey of his career ever presented in Washington. The exhibition of 96 paintings and works on paper focuses on the period of the artist's great achievements—from about 1925 to mid century—when he produced such iconic paintings as Automat (1927), Drug Store (1927), 'Early Sunday Morning' (1930), 'New York Movie' (1939), and 'Nighthawks' (1942).

Leon Major, professor of music, University of Maryland. The world of music merges with the visual arts in Later the Same Evening: an opera inspired by five paintings of Edward Hopper. The performance is a joint project of the National Gallery of Art, the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, and the University of Maryland School of Music. Music professor Leon Major, talks about the opera and artist Edward Hopper with Tempchin.

Sarah Greenough, curator and head of the department of photographs. National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art has presented memorable exhibitions of photographs through the years, ranging from monographic shows on the work of such well-known photographers as Ansel Adams and Robert Frank to historically based exhibitions such as Foto: Modernity in Central Europe, 1918-1945. The Gallery's deputy director Alan Shestack speaks with curator Sarah Greenough about the history of the photography collection and the gallery space devoted to the medium.

Carroll Moore, film and video producer, National Gallery of Art. The iconic paintings and artistic impact of Edward Hopper are the subject of a new documentary film that accompanies the exhibition Edward Hopper on its Boston-Washington-Chicago tour. Award-winning producer Carroll Moore speaks with Tempchin about the making of this illuminating film.

Michael Kahn, artistic director, Shakespeare Theatre Company, and Franklin Kelly, senior curator, National Gallery of Art. Although separated in life by 150 years, the playwright William Shakespeare and artist Joseph William Mallord Turner share more than just a name, and possibly a birthday (April 23). Michael Kahn, artistic director of the world-renowned Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, and Gallery senior curator Franklin Kelly take time out from their busy schedules to discuss how the Bard influenced the one of Britain's most celebrated artists.

Margaret Parsons, head of the film programs and Sonja Simonyi, curator of the Modernity and Tradition film series. In Europe during the period between the two world wars, artistic motion pictures were as popular a medium of expression as photography. The National Gallery of Art film series Modernity and Tradition: Film in Interwar Central Europe, which accompanies the Gallery's exhibition on tour, Foto: Modernity in Central Europe, 1918-1945, includes more than thirty documentaries, features, and experimental films.

Nicholas Penny, senior curator of sculpture and decorative arts. The work of fifteenth-century sculptor Desiderio da Settignano inspired contemporaries to declare that he "brought cold marble to life." On the occasion of the exhibition Desiderio da Settignano: Sculptor of Renaissance Florence, Alan Shestack, deputy director of the National Gallery of Art, talks with senior curator Nicholas Penny about Desiderio-the sculptor and the exhibition.

Matthew S. Witkovsky, assistant curator of photographs. Against a background of tremendous social and political upheaval, photography scaled new heights in Austria, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Hungary, and Poland. Between the two world wars. Host Barbara Tempchin and Matthew Witkovsky, curator of Foto: Modernity in Central Europe, 1918-1945, discuss the landmark exhibition, which had its world premiere here at the National Gallery of Art in June 2007 landmark exhibition.

"Out my one window," an aria from Later the Same Evening: an opera inspired by five paintings of Edward Hopper,commissioned to coincide with the Edward Hopper exhibition at the Gallery. The opera was performed this fall at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland in College Park, MD, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. "Out my one window," music by John Musto and lyrics by Mark Campbell, is used by kind permission of Peermusic Classical, New York.

Robert Leibowits, collector. For years Robert and June Leibowits have been collecting photographs and books. A portion of their impressive collection of eastern European photographs from between the two world wars is featured in the National Gallery of Art exhibition Foto: Modernity in Central Europe, 1918-1945. Exhibition curator Matthew S. Witkovsky chats with Robert Leibowits to find out what drives him to collect in this medium and subject area.

The first international exhibition devoted to Italian Renaissance sculptor Desiderio da Settignano (c. 1429–1464) comes to the National Gallery of Art—its only U.S. venue—from July 1 through October 8, 2007. 'Desiderio da Settignano: Sculptor of Renaissance Florence' brings together approximately 28 works—many coming to the U.S. for the first time—by the artist and his immediate circle, ranging from highly original portrait busts of children to subtle low-relief carvings of religious subjects.

The story of photography's extraordinary success and popularity in Austria, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Hungary, and Poland during a time of tremendous social and political upheaval, is presented in 'Foto: Modernity in Central Europe, 1918–1945,' the first survey exhibition devoted exclusively to this phenomenon. Premiering at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, June 10 through September 3, 2007, the exhibition includes more than 150 photographs, books, and illustrated magazines from several dozen American and international collections, among them many on view in the United States for the first time.

The art of one of France's greatest landscape draftsmen and painters, Claude Lorrain (1604/1605–1682), travels to the National Gallery of Art, when 'Claude Lorrain—The Painter as Draftsman: Drawings from the British Museum' goes on view in the West Building, May 27 through August 12, 2007. The exhibition includes 80 drawings from the extensive and important holdings at the British Museum. In addition, a selection of paintings and etchings broadens the representation of Claude's achievement as an artist. Many of the works have never before been seen in the United States.

'Private Treasures: Four Centuries of European Master Drawings' offers a selection of works from one of America's most significant private collections of master drawings. The exhibition, on view at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, from May 6 through September 16, features 100 of the finest drawings from the collection, and represents 85 artists of the Italian, French, Dutch, Flemish, German, Swiss, British, and Swedish schools from the 16th to the 20th centuries.

Today's travelers capture their memories with digital cameras, sharing them with friends near and far on the Internet. A new exhibition at the National Gallery of Art, 'Fabulous Journeys and Faraway Places: Travels on Paper, 1450 – 1700,' on view from May 6 through September 16, 2007, takes us back to a time when European artists depicted real and imagined places and distributed their marvelous images to an intensely curious audience in the only way possible—through prints on paper.

The art of French landscape painter Eugène Boudin (1824 – 1898) will get a rare showing in America, when 'Eugène Boudin at the National Gallery of Art' goes on view in the National Gallery of Art's East Building, March 25 through September 3, 2007. The exhibition of approximately 40 paintings and works on paper will honor the centenary of the birth of Paul Mellon, the Gallery's founding president and the benefactor largely responsible for its Boudin collection, which is one of the largest and most distinguished in this country. Proclaimed the 'king of the skies' by Camille Corot, Boudin influenced a number of impressionist painters, most notably Claude Monet.

A 1969 portfolio of 13 prints, '1st Etchings, 2nd State,' by renowned artist Jasper Johns (b. 1930) is the focus of 'States and Variations: Prints by Jasper Johns.' The exhibition, which includes 63 works dating from 1960—the year Johns first undertook printmaking—through 1982, highlights Johns' distinctive printmaking process. On view March 11 through October 28, 2007 in the National Gallery of Art, East Building, the exhibition complements 'Jasper Johns: An Allegory of Painting, 1955-1965,' also on view in the East Building, through April 29, 2007.

The work of Jasper Johns (b. 1930) represents an important breakthrough in art at midcentury, a period of radical change in American art. Themes developed in the first decade of his career will be examined as a group for the first time in a comprehensive exhibition of 83 works, on view at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, January 28 through April 29, 2007.

A new exhibition drawn from the Gallery's collection of prints and drawings, combined with major loans from private collections, will survey the varied art of British romanticism. 'The Artist's Vision: Romantic Traditions in Britain,' on view in the West Building's prints and drawings galleries from November 19 through March 18, 2007, features approximately 70 works from the late 18th century through the early 20th century. The exhibition presents artworks by Samuel Palmer, J.M.W. Turner, William Blake, and more.

For the first time an exhibition will focus on Netherlandish diptychs, featuring some of the most beautiful and intriguing paintings of the 15th and 16th centuries. Premiering at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, from November 12, 2006, through February 4, 2007, 'Prayers and Portraits: Unfolding the Netherlandish Diptych' includes 89 paintings, presenting 37 complete diptychs or pairs of paintings, reuniting some panels that have been separated for centuries, with 22 pairs on loan in the United States for the first time. Often small and depicting religious images as well as portraits of donors, the diptychs were painted by such Renaissance masters such as Jan van Eyck, Hugo van der Goes, Hans Memling, and Rogier van der Weyden. After closing in Washington, the exhibition will travel to the only other venue worldwide: the Koninklijk Museumúvoor Schone Kunsten in Antwerp, from March 3 through May 27, 2007.

John Constable's (1776–1837) seminal six-foot landscapes—among the best-known and beloved images in British art—are reunited with their groundbreaking full-size sketches for the first time since the artist's death in 'Constable's Great Landscapes: The Six-Foot Paintings,' at the National Gallery of Art, East Building, October 1 through December 31, 2006. Fifty-five works include oils and drawings that are related to the large landscapes, an early pencil portrait, and a series in varied media brought together for the first time, illustrating areas along the Stour River in Suffolk known to many as 'Constable Country.' The exhibition and its companion catalogue examine why Constable produced the six-foot sketches.

A major new international exhibition, 'Bellini, Giorgione, Titian, and the Renaissance of Venetian Painting,' will present more than 50 masterpieces from the most exciting period of the Renaissance in Venice. Premiering June 18 through September 17 at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, the exhibition explores the relationships between these and other artists, emphasizes their innovative treatments of new pictorial themes such as the pastoral landscape, and reveals what modern conservation science has discovered about the Venetian painters' techniques.

Philip Conisbee, senior curator of European paintings, National Gallery of Art. The exhibition Cézanne in Provence- on view from January 29 to May 7, 2006, at the National Gallery of Art- marked the centenary of the artist's death and showcased more than 115 paintings, watercolors, and lithographs by Paul Cézanne of the landscape and people of Provence. In this podcast recorded on January 29, 2006, curator Philip Conisbee highlights the Provençal sites that Cézanne depicted, including the Cézanne family estate, the fishing village of L'Estaque, the countryside hamlets of Gardanne and Bellevue, the isolated landscape of Bibémus, the Château Noir near Aix-en-Provence, and Montagne Sainte-Victoire. He also discusses a group of late landscapes and the monumental painting Large Bathers, on loan from the National Gallery, London. The exhibition was co-organized by the National Gallery of Art; Musée Granet, Communauté du Pays d'Aix, Aix-en-Provence; and the Réunion des musées nationaux, Paris.

'Paris in Transition: Photographs from the National Gallery of Art' presents 61 of the Gallery's photographs revealing the transformation of the French capital city and the art of photography from the mid-19th to early 20th century. The exhibition, organized from the perspective of a flâneur—an aimless wanderer, will be on view in the ground floor photographs galleries of the West Building from February 11 through May 6, 2007. It includes photographs by Eugène Atget, André Kertész, Brassaï, Alfred Stieglitz and others.

Jonathan J. G. Alexander, Sherman Fairchild Professor of Fine Arts, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. Recorded on November 13, 2005, as part of the Sydney J. Freedberg Lecture on Italian Art series, this talk by Professor Jonathan Alexander explores the manuscript choir books, known as corali, used by Christian churches on the Italian peninsula during the 15th and 16th centuries. This lecture coincided with the Masterpieces in Miniature: Italian Manuscript Illumination from the J. Paul Getty Museum exhibition on view at the National Gallery of Art from September 25, 2005, to March 26, 2006.

Ellen G. Miles, curator of painting and sculpture, National Portrait Gallery. Gilbert Stuart (1755-1828) was the most successful portraitist of early America. Known for his renderings of the most famous American men and women of the era, including George Washington and John Adams, Stuart painted nearly 1,000 portraits over the course of his 50-year career. In this lecture recorded on April 3, 2005, Ellen G. Miles, cocurator of the exhibition Gilbert Stuart, illustrates the artist's career through documents of his sitters and business partners. The exhibition, which was on view from March 27 to July 31, 2005, presented 91 exceptional works that showcase Stuart's mastery of 18th-century English portraiture, revealing the paintings' elegant, refined beauty and historical importance. Of the Gallery's unequaled collection of 43 paintings by Stuart, 16 were conserved in 2012 through a Bank of America Art Conservation Project Grant.

Ed Ruscha, artist. Ed Ruscha discusses his artistic processes and influences, and their relationship to photography, drawing, and pop culture in this podcast recorded on February 13, 2005, at the National Gallery of Art. This lecture marked the opening of Cotton Puffs, Q-Tips®, Smoke and Mirrors: The Drawings of Ed Ruscha, the first museum retrospective of the artist's drawings. The title of the exhibition refers to a quote from Ruscha about some of his drawing tools (cotton puffs and Q-tips®) and illusionary effects (smoke and mirrors). Featuring 89 works and 6 studio notebooks dated from 1959 to 2002, the retrospective traces Ruscha's career from early pop images of American commercial logos and gas stations to later images depicting words and phrases as subject matter.

Andy Goldsworthy, artist. Held in conjunction with the exhibitions The Andy Goldsworthy Project and Andy Goldsworthy: Roof, Andy Goldsworthy spoke about his career and current projects in this podcast recorded on January 23, 2005, at the National Gallery of Art. Goldsworthy has gained worldwide renown for works both ephemeral and permanent that draw out the endemic character of a place. The artist employs natural materials such as leaves, sand, ice, and stone that often originate from the site of the project. Roof, a site-specific sculpture, consists of nine hollow, low-profile domes of stacked slate, each with a centered oculus, that run the length of the ground-level garden area on the north side of the Gallery's East Building. Goldsworthy selected the dome form as a counterpoint to the many architectural domes in Washington, DC. The Andy Goldsworthy Project catalogue is available for purchase in the Gallery Shop.

Jim Dine, artist, in conversation with Ruth Fine, curator of special projects in modern art, National Gallery of Art. Marking the opening of the Drawings of Jim Dine exhibition on March 21, 2004, Dine discussed his career and work with exhibition curator Judith Brodie at the National Gallery of Art. The artist has embraced drawing since the 1970s and is considered one of America's greatest living draftsmen. His images of tools, self-portraits, and studies from nature and after antiquity are among the most accomplished and beautiful drawings of our time.

Jim Dine, artist, in conversation with Judith Brodie, curator of modern prints and drawings, National Gallery of Art. In the first of two appearances at the National Gallery of Art to celebrate the Drawings of Jim Dine exhibition, Jim Dine participated in the annual Elson Lecture Series with Judith Brodie on March 16, 2004. Dine begins by discussing his life as an artist, the formative events in his career, and the emotional and romantic qualities entailed in the act of drawing. A consummate draftsman, Dine explains that "drawing is not an exercise. Exercise is sitting on a stationary bicycle and going nowhere. Drawing is being on a bicycle and taking a journey. For me to succeed in drawing, I must go fast and arrive somewhere. The quest is to keep the thing alive..."

Ruth Fine, curator of special projects in modern art, National Gallery of Art. Panel discussion includes Spiral artists Emma Amos, Reginald Gammon, and Richard Mayhew; Camille Billops, Hatch-Billops Collection; Floyd Coleman, professor of art, Howard University; moderated by Mary Schmidt Campbell, dean, Tisch School of the Arts, New York University. In celebration of The Art of Romare Bearden exhibition, on view September 14, 2003, through January 4, 2004, at the National Gallery of Art, Ruth Fine illuminates the artist’s career, placing his extraordinary oeuvre in the context of his times. A panel discussion follows, featuring original members of Spiral—a group of African American artists, including Bearden, who gathered in the 1960s in response to the civil rights movement. Drawn from more than 85 museums and private collections, this comprehensive retrospective features 131 works, from paintings, drawings, and watercolors, to monotypes and edition prints, collages, photostats, wood sculpture, designs for record albums, costumes, stage sets, and book illustrations

Kimberly A. Jones, assistant curator of French paintings, National Gallery of Art. To celebrate the opening of Édouard Vuillard at the National Gallery of Art on January 19, 2003, coordinating curator Kimberly A. Jones introduced the career of Parisian artist Édouard Vuillard (1868-1940). The exhibition- on view through April 20, 2003- presented 233 objects, some of which had never before been on public display, and included paintings, folding screens, theater programs, prints, drawings, photographs, and ceramics. A series of decorative panels, The Public Gardens (1894), were shown together for the first time since 1906. The exhibition was co-organized by the National Gallery of Art with the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts; the Réunion des musées nationaux/Musée d'Orsay, Paris; and the Royal Academy of Arts, London.

Wendy A. Cooper, Lois D. and Henry S. McNeil Senior Curator of Furniture, Winterthur Museum, University of Delaware. In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library, 296 objects from the museum collection- including furniture, textiles, paintings, watercolors, ceramics, glass, needlework, and metalwork, all made or used in America between 1640 and 1860- were presented in the exhibition An American Vision: Henry Francis du Pont's Winterthur Museum, which was on view at the National Gallery of Art from May 5- to October 6, 2002. In this lecture recorded on June 9, 2002, exhibition curator Wendy A. Cooper gives an overview of the Winterthur estate, surrounding lands, and the evolution of Francis du Pont's collection before highlighting some of the standout pieces in the exhibition. This lecture touched on five thematic elements: Early Settlement and Sophistication; Passion for Rococo; East Meets West; Arts of the Pennsylvania Germans; and American Classicism.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude, artists. Artists Christo (b. 1935) and Jeanne-Claude (1935-2009) redefined the artistic practice by taking their art out of a museum setting and into urban and natural environments. In this podcast recorded on March 13, 2002, the pair makes their second appearance at the Gallery while the exhibition Christo and Jeanne-Claude in the Vogel Collection was on view. By examining their past and future projects, Christo and Jeanne-Claude explain how the communal construction efforts and the temporary status of their installations have contributed to their impressive qualities.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude, artists To celebrate the opening of the exhibition Christo and Jeanne-Claude in the Vogel Collection on February 3, 2002, at the National Gallery of Art, artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude discussed their realized and non-realized projects. Featuring 72 works representing four decades of the artists' careers, the exhibition included preparatory drawings, collages, scale models for proposed large-scale works, and photographs of completed projects. In this podcast, the artists share their thoughts on The Gates, Project for Central Park, New York City; Wrapped Reichstag, Berlin; and Valley Curtain, Grand Hogback, Rifle, Colorado.

Richard Misrach, photographer To coincide with the exhibition Carleton Watkins: The Art of Perception, on view from February 20 to May 7, 2000, Richard Misrach discussed his photographs of desert cantos and other landscapes as following in Watkins' legacy. The lecture took place on March 26, 2000. Misrach distinguished himself in his 30-year career as one of the most accomplished photographers of our time. His passionate and intelligent records of the American West present the chilling details of assaults on the landscape by contemporary civilization, while also eloquently revealing its enduring beauty. Misrach explains that although he was not conscious of Watkins' photographs, which evidence the man-made in Pacific Northwest landscapes and were taken more than a hundred years ago, the profound influence of his work is unmistakable.

Wayne Thiebaud, artist. American artist and teacher Wayne Thiebaud discusses the important differences between "painting" and "art" in this podcast recorded on March 1, 2000, at the National Gallery of Art. This lecture was held in conjunction with the exhibition Twentieth-Century American Art: The Ebsworth Collection, on view at the Gallery from March 5 through June 11, 2000, which featured Thiebaud's Bakery Counter (1962). Emblematic of his signature commentary on mass culture, Bakery Counter compliments the Gallery's own Cakes (1963), purchased as a gift to commemorate the Gallery's 50th anniversary in 1991.

Robert T. Singer, curator of Japanese art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The exhibition Edo: Art in Japan, 1615-1868- on view from November 15, 1998, to February 15, 1999, at the National Gallery of Art- was the first comprehensive survey of Japanese art of the Edo period in the United States. In this podcast recorded on November 15, 1998, exhibition curator Robert T. Singer highlights some of the 281 objects presented in the exhibition, including painted scrolls and screens, costumes, armor, sculpture, ceramics, and woodblock prints. Forty-seven of the works were designated National Treasures of Japan, and many had never before left the country. The exhibition was organized by the National Gallery of Art, in collaboration with the Agency for Cultural Affairs of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Government of Japan, and The Japan Foundation.

Helen I. Jessup, guest curator of Sculpture of Angkor and Ancient Cambodia: Millennium of Glory. To celebrate the opening of Sculpture of Angkor and Ancient Cambodia: Millennium of Glory at the National Gallery of Art on June 29, 1997, exhibition curator Helen I. Jessup provided an overview of the first comprehensive exhibition of Cambodian sculpture to be shown in the United States. The exhibition- on view through September 28, 1997- presented 99 works spanning more than 1,000 years, from the 6th to the 16th century, many from the collections of the National Museum of Phnom Penh and the Musée Guimet in Paris. Included were statuary, monumental works in sandstone, and sculpted architectural elements. The exhibition was organized by the National Gallery of Art, the Royal Government of Cambodia, and the Réunion des musées nationaux/Musée national des Arts asiatiques-Guimet, Paris.

Wayne Thiebaud, artist, in conversation with Kathan Brown, president, Crown Point Press, and Ruth Fine, curator of modern prints and drawings, National Gallery of Art. In this podcast recorded on June 8, 1997, to celebrate the opening of the Gallery's Thirty-Five Years at Crown Point Press exhibition, artist Wayne Thiebaud discusses his career with Kathan Brown, president of Crown Point Press, and curator Ruth Fine of the National Gallery of Art. The conversation focuses on Theibaud's prints, which feature themes that also appear in his paintings and drawings. These works depict a wide variety of sumptuous foodstuffs as well as the colorful California landscape.

J. Carter Brown, director emeritus, National Gallery of Art To commemorate the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the 100th anniversary of the modern Olympic Games, J. Carter Brown (1934-2002), former director of the National Gallery of Art, curated Rings: Five Passions in World Art, on view from July 4 to September 29, 1996, at the High Museum of Art, Atlanta. The works in this exhibition celebrated the Olympic spirit by highlighting the universal human emotions of love, anguish, awe, triumph, and joy. In this lecture recorded on June 9, 1996, Brown described bringing together 129 objects- including Rodin's The Kiss (1889) and Munch's The Scream (1893)- spanning seven centuries, loaned from prestigious museums and private collections around the world. Brown experimented with the exhibition installation, grouping artworks by the primary emotion that each evoked rather than by artist, chronology, movement, or locale.

Robert and Jane Meyerhoff, collectors, in conversation with Irving Blum, collector and co-founder of the Ferus Gallery, Los Angeles. To celebrate the exhibition opening of The Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Collection: 1945-1995 at the National Gallery of Art on March 31, 1996, the Meyerhoffs joined Irving Blum to discuss the history and practice of their collecting.  On view through July 21, 1996, the exhibition presented 194 works, almost their entire collection of post-World War II art. The Meyerhoffs' acquisitions have been based wholly on their belief in the quality of individual works and not on any preconceived theory or plan. If they were passionate about an artist, they collected his or her work in depth. Their private residence has a room dedicated to each of the following artists: Jasper Johns, Ellsworth Kelly, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, and Frank Stella. The collection is both a tribute to the extraordinarily high level of accomplishment by these artists and to the Meyerhoffs' intuition.

Photographers Ray Metzker, Emmet Gowin, and Jim Dow with Sarah Greenough, senior curator and head, department of photographs, National Gallery of Art. Photography was not invented until the mid-19th century, and the process was not widely taught as an art form until World War II. In 1946 famed Bauhaus photographer and painter László Moholy-Nagy recruited Harry Callahan to teach at the Institute of Design he had established in Chicago. One of the most important schools of photography in 20th-century America, the institute championed such qualities as serendipity and experimentation, setting new standards for the medium and attracting students who would become some of the nation’s finest photographers. While reflecting on his time as a professor, Callahan said, “teaching taught me how little I knew and it forced me to think; I had to teach to get an education.” In this program recorded on March 23, 1996, at the National Gallery of Art, Callahan’s students Ray Metzker, Emmet Gowin, and Jim Dow—all photographers in their own right—recount experiences of their friend and mentor. This program was held in celebration of the exhibition Harry Callahan, on view from March 3 to May 22, 1996, at the National Gallery of Art.

Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, artists. Working in collaboration since 1976, husband and wife artists Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen (1942-2009) redefined the nature of outdoor sculpture in public spaces. In this podcast recorded on October 12, 1995, at the National Gallery of Art, Oldenburg and Van Bruggen discuss the design and installation of their larger-than-life sculptures. These works have been installed all over the world and have become iconic images of large-scale public art. This program was presented in conjunction with the traveling exhibition Claes Oldenburg: An Anthology, which was on view at the Gallery from February 12 to May 7, 1995.

Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, artists, in conversation with Germano Celant, senior curator of contemporary art, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum; introduction by Marla Prather, associate curator of 20th-century art, National Gallery of Art. Claes Oldenberg (born 1929) and Coosje van Bruggen (1942-2009) transform familiar objects through their sculptures and give them a new reality filled with mystery, humor, and sensuality. Gemano Celant, organizing curator of the travelling exhibition Claes Oldenburg: An Anthology, on view at the Gallery from February 12 to May 7, 1995, joins the artists in this lecture. In this recording from March 5, 1995, the trio discuss the art in the exhibition—the first survey of their art since 1969—and how it offers a sense of interaction unlike anything else in a museum.

Roy Lichtenstein, artist, in conversation with Robert Rosenblum, professor of art history, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, and the Stephen and Nan Swid Curator of 20th-Century Art, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York American artist Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997) appears in conversation with art historian and curator Robert Rosenblum in this podcast recorded on October 26, 1994, at the National Gallery of Art. Lichtenstein discusses his career and life as an artist, and the impact that his art has had on popular culture. Rosenblum notes that Lichtenstein turned the popular into the elite and that the popular, in turn, turned Lichtenstein into the popular. This program coincided with the traveling exhibition The Prints of Roy Lichtenstein, the first comprehensive survey of the artist's prints in more than two decades, which was on view at the Gallery from October 30, 1994, to January 8, 1995.

Ed Grazda, photographer. Panel discussion follows with co-curators of the exhibition Sarah Greenough, curator of photographs, National Gallery of Art, and Philip Brookman, curator of photography and media arts, Corcoran Gallery of Art. On October 15, 1994, the National Gallery of Art hosted a public symposium in honor of its first exhibition devoted to a living photographer: Robert Frank: Moving Out. The exhibition was drawn largely from the Robert Frank Collection given by the artist to the Gallery in 1990. Including 157 photographs, a book, and 2 videos, the show featured Frank’s early work in Switzerland, as well as images from his travels in Peru, France, Spain, England, and the United States. Robert Delpire, Allen Ginsberg, Jonas Mekas, and Ed Grazda, Frank's close friends who influenced his life and career, participated in this symposium. Robert Frank: Moving Out was on view at the National Gallery of Art from October 2 through December 3, 1994. 

Jonas Mekas, filmmaker and founder, Anthology Film Archives. On October 15, 1994, the National Gallery of Art hosted a public symposium in honor of its first exhibition devoted to a living photographer: Robert Frank: Moving Out. The exhibition was drawn largely from the Robert Frank Collection given by the artist to the Gallery in 1990. Including 157 photographs, a book, and 2 videos, the show featured Frank’s early work in Switzerland, as well as images from his travels in Peru, France, Spain, England, and the United States. Robert Delpire, Allen Ginsberg, Jonas Mekas, and Ed Grazda, Frank's close friends who influenced his life and career, participated in this symposium. Robert Frank: Moving Out was on view at the National Gallery of Art from October 2 through December 3, 1994. 

Robert Delpire, publisher and director, Centre Nationale de la Photographie, Paris. On October 15, 1994, the National Gallery of Art hosted a public symposium in honor of its first exhibition devoted to a living photographer: Robert Frank: Moving Out. The exhibition was drawn largely from the Robert Frank Collection given by the artist to the Gallery in 1990. Including 157 photographs, a book, and 2 videos, the show featured Frank’s early work in Switzerland, as well as images from his travels in Peru, France, Spain, England, and the United States. Robert Delpire, Allen Ginsberg, Jonas Mekas, and Ed Grazda, Frank's close friends who influenced his life and career, participated in this symposium. Robert Frank: Moving Out was on view at the National Gallery of Art from October 2 through December 3, 1994.

Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997), poet. On October 15, 1994, the National Gallery of Art hosted a public symposium in honor of its first exhibition devoted to a living photographer: Robert Frank: Moving Out. The exhibition was drawn largely from the Robert Frank Collection given by the artist to the Gallery in 1990. Including 157 photographs, a book, and 2 videos, the show featured Frank’s early work in Switzerland, as well as images from his travels in Peru, France, Spain, England, and the United States. Robert Delpire, Allen Ginsberg, Jonas Mekas, and Ed Grazda, Frank's close friends who influenced his life and career, participated in this symposium. Robert Frank: Moving Out was on view at the National Gallery of Art from October 2 through December 3, 1994.

Charles Ritchie, assistant curator, department of modern prints and drawings, National Gallery of Art. Established in 1966, Gemini G.E.L. is an artists' workshop and publisher of limited edition prints and sculptures. Known for a willingness to embrace new technology and tackle complex projects, Gemini G.E.L. has attracted some of the most innovative artists of our time. The National Gallery of Art has been home to the Gemini G.E.L. Archive since 1981. The archive is intended to include an example of nearly every edition ever published by Gemini G.E.L., as well as selected proof impressions, working materials, and documents. The first exhibitions of the archive organized by the Gallery were Gemini G.E.L.: Art and Collaboration (November 18, 1984-February 24, 1985) and Gemini G.E.L.: Recent Prints and Sculpture (June 5-October 2, 1994). In this lecture recorded on September 18, 1994, exhibition curator Charles Ritchie explores the milestones among the work produced in the previous decade by 24 artists. Gemini G.E.L.: Recent Prints and Sculpture focuses on the workshop’s sensitivity to the pulse of contemporary art and its uncanny ability to reflect the spectrum of modern concerns.

Dorothy and Herbert Vogel, collectors, in conversation with Ruth Fine, curator of modern prints and drawings, National Gallery of Art; and Mark Rosenthal, curator of twentieth-century art, National Gallery of Art. New York collectors Herbert and Dorothy Vogel trace the development of their vast art collection in this podcast recorded on June 12, 1994 at the National Gallery of Art in honor of the exhibition From Minimal to Conceptual: Works from The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection. The Vogels began collecting art in the 1960s, a time that saw a new generation of artists respond to the abstract expressionist movement. These artists questioned the entire practice of art making, the nature of the art object, and how art functioned within society. By forming close personal relationships with the artists, a process that the Vogels describe as invaluable, they assembled one of the country's greatest and most extensive collections of conceptual, minimal, and post-minimal art with limited financial means. From Minimal to Conceptual was the first major showing of their collection at the National Gallery of Art and was on view from May 29 through November 27, 1994.

Richard Shiff, Effie Marie Cain Regents Chair in Art and professor of history of art, University of Texas at Austin. The exhibition Willem de Kooning: Paintings, on view at the National Gallery of Art from May 8 to September 5, 1994, was presented in honor of the artist’s 90th birthday. The exhibition included 76 paintings that spanned de Kooning’s career from the 1930s to the mid-1980s. In this lecture recorded on May 29, 1994, catalogue author Richard Shiff highlights four aspects of the artist’s career. First, Shiff explores de Kooning’s involvement with change: he thought of himself as always evolving, and his work could not be classified under a single style. Second, Shiff describes the physicality of de Kooning’s work: the artist became involved with materials of real substance and engaged his body with these materials by pushing, pulling, and physically manipulating them. Third, Shiff shares how to look at and think about de Kooning’s figures and representations, which initially might not be recognizable.  Fourth, de Kooning resisted any description of himself more elaborate than painter: here Shiff addresses de Kooning’s objections to abstract art—even though he made abstract work, he did not consider himself an abstractionist.

Emmet Gowin, photographer and professor of visual arts, Princeton University. In the first of two lectures honoring the exhibition Stieglitz in the Darkroom, on view at the National Gallery of Art from October 4, 1992, to February 14, 1993, photographer Emmet Gowin shares the relevance of Alfred Stieglitz's (1864-1946) work to his own. The exhibition of 75 photographic prints, chosen from the "key set" of 1,600 photographs given to the Gallery by Georgia O'Keeffe in 1949 and 1980, spanned Stieglitz's career. It demonstrated how a photographer can alter the aesthetics of his art and meaning through cropping, scale, tone, paper selection, and printing process- and also the extraordinary commitment a photographer has to his work. One of the most important photographers of his generation, Gowin (born 1941) is the son of a Methodist minister and considered America and Alfred Stieglitz (1934) to be his second bible. For this lecture recorded on November 29, 1992, Gowin used the title of his undergraduate senior thesis, demonstrating his strong connection with Stieglitz and Robert Frank's The Americans (1958). Tracing the influence of Stieglitz throughout his career, Gowin shares how his work transitioned from photographing primarily human beings to making aerial photographs of toxic waste sites and nuclear reservations.

Richard J. Powell, assistant professor, department of art and art history, Duke University. In advance of the publication of his newest book, Jacob Lawrence, Richard J. Powell shares the aesthetic and cultural inquiries that contributed to a more meaningful study of this important artist. Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000) received unprecedented acclaim for an African American artist in the 20th century. The standard conclusion that this unique status resulted from an ideological triumvirate of caste, class, and race fails to appreciate Lawrence’s artistic motivations and choices. In this lecture, recorded at the National Gallery of Art on March 22, 1992, Powell explains that his investigation into Lawrence’s life yields a universe of emblems, motifs, and symbols that cannot be reduced to some purely racial or social formula. The motif of steps—recurrent images of ladders, brownstone stoops, and fire escapes—is not a visual trope or random inclusion of environmental observations. The steps embrace a world of allusions to ascension and climbing. Lawrence’s documentation of significant historic events and moments of individual struggle and perseverance creates an art of social realism. His definitions of events and people at their most historic and human levels clarifies their meanings. Powell believes that this climbing and clarifying represents the genius of Jacob Lawrence.

Nancy Graves and Donald Saff, artists, in conversation with Ruth Fine, curator of special projects in modern art, National Gallery of Art. Artists Nancy Graves and Donald Saff, artist and founding director of Graphicstudio, discuss the formation of the Graphicstudio archive at the National Gallery of Art with Ruth Fine in this podcast recorded on October 6, 1991. This program was held in honor of the exhibition Graphicstudio: Contemporary Art from the Collaborative Workshop at the University of South Florida, which was on view from September 15, 1991, to January 5, 1992, and for which Graves completed her most recent work, Canoptic Legerdemain. The archive consists of 140 paintings, photographs, sculptures, and works in other media created by 24 artists who worked in collaboration with Graphicstudio's printers and artisans.

Jim Dine, artist, in conversation with Ruth Fine, curator of special projects in modern art, National Gallery of Art. Shortly after the opening of the exhibition Graphicstudio: Contemporary Art from the Collaborative Workshop at the University of South Florida, Jim Dine discussed his works in the Graphicstudio archive at the National Gallery of Art with Ruth Fine on September 29, 1991. On view from September 15, 1991, to January 5, 1992, the exhibition featured 140 works by 24 artists, including two sculptures given by Dine from his own collection to complete the archive formed in 1986. Instead of looking back on his well-documented career, the conversation also focused on his recent work in printmaking and on a drawings series completed in the dead of night at a European museum.

Pat Steir, artist, and Kathan Brown, founder and director of Crown Point Press, in conversation with Ruth Fine, curator of special projects in modern art, National Gallery of Art. In this podcast recorded on March 25, 1990, at the National Gallery of Art, Pat Steir appears in conversation with Kathan Brown to celebrate the exhibition The 1980s: Prints from the Collection of Joshua P. Smith. Moderated by exhibition curator Ruth Fine, the conversation explores the role that printmaking and the artist's involvement with Crown Point Press have played in her career. Also examined is Steir's use of paintings and drawings to address many of the important visual and conceptual issues of her generation.

Scott Burton and George Segal, artists, in conversation with Nan Rosenthal, curator of 20th-century art, National Gallery of Art. In honor of A Century of Modern Sculpture: The Patsy and Raymond Nasher Collection, an exhibition on view at the National Gallery of Art from June 28, 1987, to February 15, 1988, Scott Burton and George Segal discussed their work with Nan Rosenthal. The exhibition featured a selection of 70 works of 20th-century sculpture, collected for the Nashers' home in Dallas, Texas, and for installation at a Dallas shopping center and office complex. Held on December 6, 1987, this conversation was the one of the first programs at the Gallery to feature two living artists. Both artists focused on making sculpture for public spaces in the late 1980s—spaces whose users represent a heterogeneous group in respect to their knowledge of art and their taste.

Sydney J. Freedberg, chief curator, National Gallery of Art. In honor of The Age of Correggio and the Carracci: Emilian Painting of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries exhibition, on view from December 19, 1986, to February 16, 1987, at the National Gallery of Art, Sydney J. Freedberg explains the genesis of the exhibition and introduces many of its masterpieces, including 79 paintings created in the northern Italian province of Emilia between 1500 and 1700. Sir John Pope-Hennessy (then of the Metropolitan Museum of Art) chose the 16th-century works and Freedberg selected those painted in the 17th century. In this lecture recorded on December 26, 1986, Freedberg leads the audience through the exhibition, promising that even though his tour begins with the grandeur of Correggio, there are marvelous surprises of equal mastery to come.

Wendy A. Cooper, director, The DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, Colonial Williamsburg. In honor of the exhibition opening for American Furniture from the Kaufman Collection on October 12, 1986, curator Wendy A. Cooper presented this lecture highlighting works collected by Mr. and Mrs. George M. Kaufman over a period of 25 years. The exhibition, on view through April 19, 1987, at the National Gallery of Art, showed 101 examples of American furniture made between 1690 and 1840. The collection, one of the largest and most refined in private hands, includes chairs, desks, tables, high chests, mirrors, clocks, and sconces from the major style centers of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Newport, and Charleston. The Kaufmans recognized this furniture as one of the earliest American art forms, as well as an expression of their love for and strong pride in our nation's creative and artistic heritage. Each and every object that they desired to acquire and live with is an extraordinary example of high quality craftsmanship, aesthetics, and design.

Sydney J. Freedberg, Arthur Kingsley Porter Professor of Fine Arts emeritus, Harvard University, and chief curator, National Gallery of Art. In honor of the exhibition Titian: The Flaying of Marsyas on view at the National Gallery of Art from January 17 to April 20, 1986, chief curator Sydney J. Freedberg revealed how he arranged this special showing of Titian's last painting in the United States. In 1983 the work had been lent by the State Museum in Kromeriz, Czechoslovakia, for the first time in 300 years to the Genius of Venice exhibition at London's Royal Academy of Arts. Freedberg persuaded authorities to permit the painting to travel to the National Gallery of Art, in what he described as its second emergence from exile. In this lecture recorded on January 26, 1986, Freedberg provides the context for The Flaying of Marsyas (c. 1550-1576) and the later years of Titian's career.

Roy Lichtenstein, artist, in conversation with Jack Cowart, curator of 20th-century art, National Gallery of Art; introduction by Ruth Fine, curator of the department of graphic arts, National Gallery of Art. American artist Roy Lichtenstein appears in conversation with curator Jack Cowart to celebrate the exhibition Gemini G.E.L.: Art and Collaboration, on view at the National Gallery of Art from November 18, 1984, to February 24, 1985. In this recording from January 27, 1985, Lichtenstein discusses some of his 134 prints in the Gemini G.E.L. collection. Gemini G.E.L. (Graphic Edition Limited) is an artists' workshop and publisher of hand-printed limited-edition lithographs. Gemini G.E.L. played a pivotal role in the formation of the Gallery's contemporary collection when Sidney B. Felsen and Stanley Grinstein, owners of Gemini, donated 256 prints and sculpture editions by 22 contemporary American artists working at Gemini G.E.L. of Los Angeles. The archive collection now has more than 1,200 works, establishing the Gallery as a primary research center in the field of contemporary graphic art and edition sculpture.

Sydney J. Freedberg, Arthur Kingsley Porter Professor of Fine Arts, and acting director, Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University. At the time of the exhibition Prints and Related Drawings by the Carracci Family, on view from March 18 to May 20, 1979, at the National Gallery of Art, Sydney J. Freedberg presented his observations on Lodovico Carracci (1555-1619), the oldest of the family of Bolognese artists that included cousins Agostino (1557-1602) and Annibale (1560-1609). Together the Carracci profoundly altered the course of Italian art in the later years of the 16th century and laid the basis for the baroque style that would dominate the century to come. In this lecture recorded on April 8, 1979, Freedberg opposes the perception of Lodovico as a flawed artist outdistanced by his younger cousins. Providing a more comprehensive account, Freedberg argues that the artist's expressive capacity- seen in his sensuous handling of paint, powerful evocations of form, and innovative chiaroscuro- was both his strength and defect.

Andrew Robison, A.W. Mellon Senior Curator of Prints and Drawings, National Gallery of Art. To celebrate the exhibition opening of Albrecht Dürer: Master Drawings, Watercolors, and Prints from the Albertina on March 24, 2013, Andrew Robison shares that, while the artist's paintings were prized, his most influential works were executed on paper. Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) has long been considered the greatest German artist, uniquely combining the status held in Italian art by Michelangelo in the 16th century, by Raphael in the 18th and 19th centuries, and by Leonardo da Vinci in our own day. The finest collection of Dürer's drawings and watercolors is that of the Albertina in Vienna, Austria. One of the largest in the world, it is distinguished by many of the artist's most stunning masterpieces: watercolors such as The Great Piece of Turf, a sublime nature study of the Renaissance; chiaroscuro drawings such as The Praying Hands, surely the most famous drawing in the world; and the amazingly precocious silverpoint Self-Portrait at Thirteen, perhaps the earliest self-portrait drawing by any artist. On view through June 9, 2013, this groundbreaking exhibition presents 91 of the superb Dürer watercolors and drawings from the Albertina and 27 of the museum’s best related engravings and woodcuts. It also includes 19 closely related drawings and prints from the Gallery’s own collection.