Portraiture in the 18th Century
May 10, 2003
East Building Auditorium
Held in conjunction with the exhibitions
Jean-Antoine Houdon (1741-1828):
Sculptor of the Enlightenment and Thomas Gainsborough, 1727-1788
The rare occurrence of simultaneous exhibitions of the celebrated 18th-century artists Jean-Antoine Houdon and Thomas Gainsborough provides the opportunity to hear scholars from both Europe and the United States address issues of period portraiture suggested by the work of these two masters.
Panel Chair: Kathy Adler, head of education, National Gallery, London
Philip Conisbee, senior curator of European paintings, National Gallery of Art
Alan Fern, director emeritus, National Portrait Gallery
Nicholas Penny, senior curator of sculpture, National Gallery of Art
Anne Poulet, curator emerita, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and guest curator of the Houdon exhibition
Robert Rosenblum, Henry Ittleson, Jr. Professor of Modern European Art, New York University
Michael Rosenthal, professor, University of Warwick
The program will consist of 10 minute, illustrated talks by each participant followed by a panel discussion.