| Details | The Edgar P. Richardson Lecture Series in American Portraiture, 2020
“Women, Portraiture, and Power”
Combating Racism: Betsy Graves Reyneau, Laura Wheeler Waring, and Representation of Black Achievement In 1943, the Harmon Foundation commissioned artists Betsy Graves Reyneau and Laura Wheeler Waring to make portraits of eminent Black Americans capable of highlighting Black achievement and fighting white prejudice. These forty-two paintings were first shown at the Smithsonian in 1944. Steven Nelson, dean of the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts (CASVA) at the National Gallery of Art, will revisit the complexities of this exhibition, and explore the intersection of gender, philanthropy, Black history and African American art during and just after World War II. He will also consider the work within the broader context of Americanness during the early 1940s. This presentation is part of the Edgar P. Richardson Lecture Series, which is hosted by PORTAL, the Portrait Gallery’s Scholarly Center. The Edgar P. Richardson Lecture Series takes place biennially and is made possible by the generous support of the Edgar P. Richardson Fund. The Zoom link will be emailed to participants upon registration. Free—Registration required. This presentation is part of the Edgar P. Richardson Lecture Series hosted by PORTAL, the Portrait Gallery's Scholarly Center. |
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