Neil Harris, Preston and Sterling Morton Professor Emeritus of History and of Art History, University of Chicago

In his book Capital Culture: J. Carter Brown, the National Gallery of Art, and the Reinvention of the Museum Experience, author Neil Harris reviews the twenty-three year tenure of J. Carter Brown as National Gallery of Art director. From 1969 to 1992, Brown transformed the Gallery, presided over the construction of the East Building, energized Washington cultural life, and reshaped thinking about museum exhibitions and museum experiences across the United States. In this lecture recorded on October 13, 2013, at the National Gallery of Art, Harris describes how Brown brought drama and excitement to a heavy exhibition schedule, and, for many, personified the glamorous alliance of art and international diplomacy.