Release Date: May 14, 2013

Summer Lecture Program Celebrates Kerry James Marshall, New Books by Noted Authors, and More

Washington, DC—The National Gallery of Art welcomes summer in the nation's capital with lectures by distinguished guest speakers and Gallery staff. Highlights of the season include a public symposium, four book signings, and a summer series exploring the intersection of art and dance.

To celebrate In the Tower: Kerry James Marshall, the artist’s first solo exhibition in Washington, Kerry James Marshall will appear in conversation with James Meyer, associate curator, department of modern art, National Gallery of Art, on June 26.

Several lecture programs highlight Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes, including a public symposium featuring noted scholars on June 1. On June 2, exhibition curators Sarah Kennel (associate curator, department of photographs, National Gallery of Art) and Jane Pritchard (curator of dance, Victoria and Albert Museum) present the lecture “When Art Danced with Music (and What It Wore)” and sign copies of the exhibition catalogue. The Gallery’s annual summer series by staff lecturers also explores themes of the exhibition with lectures every Sunday from July 7 through August 11.

On May 19, Robert Edsel, author and founder-president of the Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art, presents a lecture in honor of his recent book, Saving Italy: The Race to Rescue a Nation’s Treasures from the Nazis. On June 20, author Ross King visits the Gallery to discuss his acclaimed volume Leonardo and the Last Supper. Eileen Costello, editor and project director, The Catalogue Raisonné of the Drawings of Jasper Johns, The Menil Collection, discusses the work of Brice Marden on June 30, as well as her book Brice Marden: Phaidon Focus. Book signings with the authors follow all three lectures (publications are available in the Gallery Shops).

Public Symposium

Worlds of Art: Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes
Saturday, June 1, 11:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
Illustrated lectures by noted scholars Alison Hilton, Wright Family Professor of Art History, Georgetown University; Simon Morrison, professor of music, Princeton University; Sjeng Scheijen, artistic director, Netherlands-Russia Year 2013; Tim Scholl, professor of Russian and comparative literature, Oberlin College; and Anna Winestein, executive director, Ballets Russes Cultural Partnership. 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.

Lecture Programs

All lecture programs are presented free of charge and take place on Sundays at 2:00 p.m. in the East Building Auditorium unless otherwise noted. Seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis.

Saving Italy: The Monuments Men, Nazis, and War
May 19
Robert Edsel, author and founder-president, Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art. A book signing of Saving Italy: The Race to Rescue a Nation’s Treasures from the Nazis follows.

Toward “CS Blues”: Delinquency and Danger in Rolling Stones’ Films
Saturday, May 25, 4:00 p.m.
Illustrated lecture by David James, professor, School of Cinematic Arts, University of Southern California, followed by a screening of CS Blues

When Art Danced with Music (and What It Wore)
June 2
Sarah Kennel, associate curator, department of photographs, National Gallery of Art, and Jane Pritchard, curator of dance, Victoria and Albert Museum. A book signing of Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes, 1909–1929: When Art Danced with Music follows.

The Accidental Masterpiece: Leonardo and “The Last Supper”
June 9
Ross King, author. A book signing of Leonardo and “The Last Supper” follows.

The Lure of the Letter: Renaissance Venice and Antique Lettering
June 16
Debra Pincus, independent scholar

Conversations with Artists: Kerry James Marshall
Wednesday, June 26, 3:30 p.m.
Kerry James Marshall, artist, and James Meyer, associate curator, department of modern art, National Gallery of Art

Brice Marden: Beyond Visual Reality
June 30
Eileen Costello, editor and project director, The Catalogue Raisonné of the Drawings of Jasper Johns, The Menil Collection. A book signing of Brice Marden: Phaidon Focus follows.

The Art of Edvard Munch: Early Work
August 18
David Gariff, lecturer, National Gallery of Art

The Art of Edvard Munch: Late Work
August 25
David Gariff, lecturer, National Gallery of Art

Summer Lecture Series: Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes, 1909–1929: When Art Danced with Music

In conjunction with the exhibition Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes, 1909–1929: When Art Danced with Music, the department of adult programs offers a series of lectures illuminating the connection between art and dance.

Bronislava Nijinska: A Choreographer’s Journey
July 7
Lynn Garafola, professor of dance, Barnard College, Columbia University

Dancing with the Stars: Works from the Collection of the National Gallery of Art
July 14
Diane Arkin, lecturer and manager of adult program docents, National Gallery of Art

The Rite of Spring: Race, Dance, and Modernism in 1913
July 21
Sarah Kennel, associate curator, department of photographs, National Gallery of Art

Vaudeville and Popular Dance in American Art
July 28
Wilford W. Scott, head of adult programs, National Gallery of Art

Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner: Little Dancers after Degas
August 4
Maryanna Ramirez, curatorial assistant, department of photographs, National Gallery of Art

Ideal or Idle: Peasant Dance from Brueghel to the Ballets Russes
August 11
Lorena Baines, lecturer, National Gallery of Art

Works in Progress

All lectures are offered on Mondays in the East Building Small Auditorium at 12:10 and 1:10 p.m.

A Structure Unseen: Painting and Memory
May 20
William Whitaker, art services technician, National Gallery of Art

The Kress Traveling Exhibition: 1932–1935
June 3
Fulvia Zaninelli, research assistant, Kress Collection Provenance Research Project, National Gallery of Art