George Washington: Man, Myth, Monument

Some six dozen works in all media depicting George Washington, the Revolutionary War hero who became the first president of the United States, are presented in "George Washington: Man, Myth, Monument—Images from the Metropolitan." The exhibition is drawn entirely from the extensive holdings of the Museum's American Wing and includes paintings, sculpture, drawings, and prints, as well as works in glass, ceramics, silver, textiles, and wood that were created in the late eighteenth and the nineteenth century.

Depictions of George Washington changed over time to suit the changing needs of the American public. The exhibition features works created during his lifetime, such as a painting by John Trumbull, which shows Washington as a general in the Revolutionary War (1780), and Giuseppe Ceracchi's marble bust (1795), which pays homage to Washington during his presidential term. In the nineteenth century, Washington's image was adapted to many patriotic and sentimental purposes, as in a hand-colored lithograph from about 1860 by H. Weishaupt (after Samuel Moore), showing Washington's transformation into a deity.

"George Washington: Man, Myth, Monument—Images from the Metropolitan" was organized to complement the exhibition "Gilbert Stuart," on view at the Museum October 21, 2004–January 16, 2005, which features a section devoted to the artist's celebrated portraits of Washington.

The Eugénie Prendergast Exhibitions of American Art are made possible by a grant from Jan and Warren Adelson.

Exhibition Organizer and Credits The exhibition was organized by Carrie Rebora Barratt, curator of American Paintings and Sculpture and manager of the Henry R. Luce Center for the Study of American Art, with the assistance of Lois Stainman. Exhibition design is by Daniel Kershaw, exhibition designer; graphics are by Emil Micha, senior graphic design manager; and lighting is by Clint Ross Coller and Rich Lichte, lighting designers.

George Washington:
Man, Myth, Monument
Images from the Metropolitan
Kurator: Carrie Rebora Barratt, Lois Stainman

Künstler: Giuseppe Ceracchi, Frederick Kemmelmeyer, John Trumbull, H. Weishaupt ...