2019 Summer Sunday Lecture Series: Celebrating the Old Master Collections of the National Gallery of Art

David Gariff, senior lecturer, National Gallery of Art

The 2019 Summer Sunday Lecture series takes a closer look at the many treasures housed in the Gallery’s permanent collection. Works by Italian, French, Dutch, and American artists are featured in this visual tour. New insights and surprising discoveries await, featuring Gallery favorites and recently acquired works. In this seventh lecture in the series, presented on August 18, 2019 David Gariff, senior lecturer, discusses the Gallery’s collection of Italian paintings, considered the most important in America and among the finest and most comprehensive in the world. The collection contains works by some of the greatest Italian painters in art history, including Duccio, Giotto, Fra Angelico, Fra Filippo Lippi, Botticelli, Piero di Cosimo, Raphael, Giovanni Bellini, Giorgione, Titian, Correggio, and Bernardino Luini. All the important regional schools are represented, including Florence, Siena, Venice, and the Lombard tradition in the north. Most important, the National Gallery of Art is home to the only painting by Leonardo da Vinci in the Western Hemisphere—his Portrait of Ginevra de’ Benci. In this lecture, Gariff explores the history of central Italian painting from 1300 to 1520 seen through the masterpieces in the Gallery’s permanent collection.

David Gariff, senior lecturer, National Gallery of Art

The 2019 Summer Sunday Lecture series takes a closer look at the many treasures housed in the Gallery’s permanent collection. Works by Italian, French, Dutch, and American artists are featured in this visual tour. New insights and surprising discoveries await, featuring Gallery favorites and recently acquired works. In this seventh lecture in the series, presented on August 18, 2019 David Gariff, senior lecturer, discusses the Gallery’s collection of Italian paintings, considered the most important in America and among the finest and most comprehensive in the world. The collection contains works by some of the greatest Italian painters in art history, including Duccio, Giotto, Fra Angelico, Fra Filippo Lippi, Botticelli, Piero di Cosimo, Raphael, Giovanni Bellini, Giorgione, Titian, Correggio, and Bernardino Luini. All the important regional schools are represented, including Florence, Siena, Venice, and the Lombard tradition in the north. Most important, the National Gallery of Art is home to the only painting by Leonardo da Vinci in the Western Hemisphere—his Portrait of Ginevra de’ Benci. In this lecture, Gariff explores the history of central Italian painting from 1300 to 1520 seen through the masterpieces in the Gallery’s permanent collection.

Dianne Stephens, senior educator, National Gallery of Art

The 2019 Summer Sunday Lecture Series, Celebrating the Old Master Collections of the National Gallery of Art, takes a closer look at the many treasures housed in the Gallery’s permanent collection. On August 11, 2019 Dianne Stephens, a senior educator at the National Gallery of Art, discusses masterpieces of American furniture from the Kaufman Collection, 1700–1830. These magnificent objects were permanently installed at the National Gallery of Art in October 2012 as a promised gift of the collection formed over five decades by Linda H. Kaufman and the late George M. Kaufman, which includes some of the finest and most elegant examples of American furniture produced in colonial and post-revolutionary America. The Kaufman Collection a significant addition to the decorative arts at the National Gallery of Art and in Washington, and these important pieces of furniture complement and enrich the great American achievements in painting and sculpture in the Gallery’s permanent collection.

Dianne Stephens, senior educator, National Gallery of Art

The 2019 Summer Sunday Lecture Series, Celebrating the Old Master Collections of the National Gallery of Art, takes a closer look at the many treasures housed in the Gallery’s permanent collection. On August 11, 2019 Dianne Stephens, a senior educator at the National Gallery of Art, discusses masterpieces of American furniture from the Kaufman Collection, 1700–1830. These magnificent objects were permanently installed at the National Gallery of Art in October 2012 as a promised gift of the collection formed over five decades by Linda H. Kaufman and the late George M. Kaufman, which includes some of the finest and most elegant examples of American furniture produced in colonial and post-revolutionary America. The Kaufman Collection a significant addition to the decorative arts at the National Gallery of Art and in Washington, and these important pieces of furniture complement and enrich the great American achievements in painting and sculpture in the Gallery’s permanent collection.

Heidi Applegate, guest lecturer

The 2019 Summer Sunday Lecture Series takes a closer look at the many treasures housed in the Gallery’s permanent collection. Works by Italian, French, Dutch, and American artists are featured in this visual tour. New insights and surprising discoveries await, featuring Gallery favorites and recently acquired works. In this fourth lecture in the series, presented on August 4, 2019 guest lecturer Heidi Applegate discusses the Gallery’s collection of American paintings. The American collection has grown from 10 paintings when the West Building opened in 1941 to become the largest of the paintings departments in the museum. Dr. Heidi Applegate gives an overview of how the collection has been assembled over the past seven decades, underscoring the transformative addition in 2014 of paintings from the Corcoran Gallery of Art.

Heidi Applegate, guest lecturer

The 2019 Summer Sunday Lecture Series takes a closer look at the many treasures housed in the Gallery’s permanent collection. Works by Italian, French, Dutch, and American artists are featured in this visual tour. New insights and surprising discoveries await, featuring Gallery favorites and recently acquired works. In this fourth lecture in the series, presented on August 4, 2019 guest lecturer Heidi Applegate discusses the Gallery’s collection of American paintings. The American collection has grown from 10 paintings when the West Building opened in 1941 to become the largest of the paintings departments in the museum. Dr. Heidi Applegate gives an overview of how the collection has been assembled over the past seven decades, underscoring the transformative addition in 2014 of paintings from the Corcoran Gallery of Art.

David Gariff, senior lecturer, National Gallery of Art

The 2019 Summer Sunday Lecture Series focuses on the outstanding collections of old master paintings in the National Gallery of Art, and also includes a discussion of the extraordinary American furniture from the Kaufman Collection, currently on view on the ground floor of the West Building. Over the decades, appreciation of French eighteenth-century art has fluctuated between preference for the alluring decorative canvases of rococo artists such as François Boucher and Jean-Honoré Fragonard to admiration for the sober neoclassicism championed by Jacques-Louis David and his pupils. In this final lecture in the series, presented on August 25, David Gariff, senior lecturer, surveys the history of French art in the eighteenth century from the time of Louis XIV to the French Revolution. In addition to works by Boucher, Fragonard, and David, scenes of daily life by Antoine Watteau, Jean-Siméon Chardin, and Jean-Baptiste Greuze are discussed.

Heidi Applegate, guest lecturer

The 2019 Summer Sunday Lecture Series takes a closer look at the many treasures housed in the Gallery’s permanent collection. Works by Italian, French, Dutch, and American artists are featured in this visual tour. New insights and surprising discoveries await, featuring Gallery favorites and recently acquired works. In this third lecture in the series, presented on July 28, guest lecturer Heidi Applegate discusses the Gallery’s collection of British paintings, known for its “Grand Manner” portraits by Sir Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough, landscapes by John Constable, and seascapes by J. M. W. Turner. Applegate discusses the history of the collection, paintings that have changed over time, and recent acquisitions by John Martin, Richard Parkes Bonington, and John Ward of Hull.

David Gariff, senior lecturer, National Gallery of Art

The 2019 Summer Sunday Lecture Series focuses on the outstanding collections of old master paintings in the National Gallery of Art, and also includes a discussion of the extraordinary American furniture from the Kaufman Collection, currently on view on the ground floor of the West Building. Over the decades, appreciation of French eighteenth-century art has fluctuated between preference for the alluring decorative canvases of rococo artists such as François Boucher and Jean-Honoré Fragonard to admiration for the sober neoclassicism championed by Jacques-Louis David and his pupils. In this final lecture in the series, presented on August 25, David Gariff, senior lecturer, surveys the history of French art in the eighteenth century from the time of Louis XIV to the French Revolution. In addition to works by Boucher, Fragonard, and David, scenes of daily life by Antoine Watteau, Jean-Siméon Chardin, and Jean-Baptiste Greuze are discussed.

Heidi Applegate, guest lecturer

The 2019 Summer Sunday Lecture Series takes a closer look at the many treasures housed in the Gallery’s permanent collection. Works by Italian, French, Dutch, and American artists are featured in this visual tour. New insights and surprising discoveries await, featuring Gallery favorites and recently acquired works. In this third lecture in the series, presented on July 28, guest lecturer Heidi Applegate discusses the Gallery’s collection of British paintings, known for its “Grand Manner” portraits by Sir Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough, landscapes by John Constable, and seascapes by J. M. W. Turner. Applegate discusses the history of the collection, paintings that have changed over time, and recent acquisitions by John Martin, Richard Parkes Bonington, and John Ward of Hull.

Eric Denker, senior lecturer, National Gallery of Art

The 2019 Summer Sunday Lecture Series, Celebrating the Old Master Collections of the National Gallery of Art, takes a closer look at the many treasures housed in the Gallery’s permanent collection. Works by Italian, French, Dutch, and American artists are featured in this visual tour. New insights and surprising discoveries await, featuring Gallery favorites and recently acquired works. In this second lecture in the series, presented on July 21, 2019 senior lecturer Eric Denker discusses the Gallery’s collection of Venetian painting. The holdings begin with rare works by Giovanni Bellini, such as his late masterpiece The Feast of the Gods , as well as works by the most important artists to emerge from Bellini’s studio, including Giorgione, Titian, and Carpaccio. Also well represented in the Gallery’s remarkable collection are Venetian paintings from the second half of the 16th century by Tintoretto and Veronese, and the 18th century, by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo and Canaletto.

Eric Denker, senior lecturer, National Gallery of Art

The 2019 Summer Sunday Lecture Series, Celebrating the Old Master Collections of the National Gallery of Art, takes a closer look at the many treasures housed in the Gallery’s permanent collection. Works by Italian, French, Dutch, and American artists are featured in this visual tour. New insights and surprising discoveries await, featuring Gallery favorites and recently acquired works. In this second lecture in the series, presented on July 21, 2019 senior lecturer Eric Denker discusses the Gallery’s collection of Venetian painting. The holdings begin with rare works by Giovanni Bellini, such as his late masterpiece The Feast of the Gods , as well as works by the most important artists to emerge from Bellini’s studio, including Giorgione, Titian, and Carpaccio. Also well represented in the Gallery’s remarkable collection are Venetian paintings from the second half of the 16th century by Tintoretto and Veronese, and the 18th century, by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo and Canaletto.

Eric Denker, senior lecturer, National Gallery of Art

The 2019 Summer Sunday Lecture Series, Celebrating the Old Master Collections of the National Gallery of Art, takes a closer look at the many treasures housed in the Gallery’s permanent collection. Works by Italian, French, Dutch, and American artists are featured in this visual tour. New insights and surprising discoveries await, featuring Gallery favorites and recently acquired works.  In this first lecture in the series, presented on July 14, 2019 senior lecturer Eric Denker discusses the Gallery’s collection of 17th-century Dutch paintings, one of the most important outside of the Netherlands. The holdings include a distinguished selection of well-known masters, including Frans Hals, Rembrandt, and Vermeer, as well as many superlative works by lesser-known painters of the Golden Age of Dutch painting. Intense competition during this era propelled artists to specialize in specific genres of painting including portraiture, landscape, still life, and scenes of daily life.

Eric Denker, senior lecturer, National Gallery of Art

The 2019 Summer Sunday Lecture Series, Celebrating the Old Master Collections of the National Gallery of Art, takes a closer look at the many treasures housed in the Gallery’s permanent collection. Works by Italian, French, Dutch, and American artists are featured in this visual tour. New insights and surprising discoveries await, featuring Gallery favorites and recently acquired works.  In this first lecture in the series, presented on July 14, 2019 senior lecturer Eric Denker discusses the Gallery’s collection of 17th-century Dutch paintings, one of the most important outside of the Netherlands. The holdings include a distinguished selection of well-known masters, including Frans Hals, Rembrandt, and Vermeer, as well as many superlative works by lesser-known painters of the Golden Age of Dutch painting. Intense competition during this era propelled artists to specialize in specific genres of painting including portraiture, landscape, still life, and scenes of daily life.

Lorena Bradford, accessible programs, department of education, National Gallery of Art

The 2019 Summer Sunday Lecture Series takes a closer look at the many treasures housed in the Gallery’s permanent collection. Since it opened to the public in 1978, the East Building itself has been recognized as one of the Gallery’s most prized masterpieces. The passing of the building’s architect, I. M. Pei (1917–2019), invited a new look at his projects around the globe. In a talk given on July 7, 2019 as part of the 2019 Summer Sunday Lecture Series, Lorena Bradford situates the commission of the East Building within the context of Pei’s blossoming career and shares some of the challenges Pei and his team faced in developing the final, inspired design. Bradford analyzes the responses of critics, fellow architects, and the public to the East Building, both before the completed structure was unveiled and after it opened in 1978, concluding with reflections on Pei’s legacy.

Lorena Bradford, accessible programs, department of education, National Gallery of Art

Since it opened to the public in 1978, the East Building has been recognized as one of the National Gallery of Art’s most prized masterpieces. The passing of the building’s architect, I.M. Pei (1917–2019), invited a new look at his building projects around the globe. In a talk given on July 7, 2019, Lorena Bradford situates the commission of the East Building within the context of Pei’s blossoming career and shares some of the challenges Pei and his team faced in developing the final, inspired design. Bradford analyzes the responses of critics, fellow architects, and the public to the East Building both before the completed structure was unveiled and after it opened in 1978, concluding with reflections on Pei’s legacy.