Past Exhibition

Art for the Nation

A profusion of white roses bursting from the neck of a tan jug almost fills the height of this horizontal still life painting. The roses have large, round blooms with petals tinged with denim and aquamarine blue, sage green, mauve pink, teal, and butter yellow. Emerald-green leaves fill the spaces between blossoms. The jug has a short, rounded handle and sits on a sea glass-green surface. A few blooms lie in the lower left corner and at the foot of the vessel. Many of the flowers, leaves, and vase are outlined with navy blue or black. A mint-green wall with wavy, diagonal streaks of cream white fills the background. The paint is applied thickly with visible strokes.
Vincent van Gogh, Roses, 1890, oil on canvas, Gift of Pamela Harriman in memory of W. Averell Harriman, 1991.67.1

Details

  • Dates

    -

  • Locations

    East Building, Upper Level and Mezzanine, Northeast and Upper Level, North Bridge
A profusion of white roses bursting from the neck of a tan jug almost fills the height of this horizontal still life painting. The roses have large, round blooms with petals tinged with denim and aquamarine blue, sage green, mauve pink, teal, and butter yellow. Emerald-green leaves fill the spaces between blossoms. The jug has a short, rounded handle and sits on a sea glass-green surface. A few blooms lie in the lower left corner and at the foot of the vessel. Many of the flowers, leaves, and vase are outlined with navy blue or black. A mint-green wall with wavy, diagonal streaks of cream white fills the background. The paint is applied thickly with visible strokes.
Vincent van Gogh, Roses, 1890, oil on canvas, Gift of Pamela Harriman in memory of W. Averell Harriman, 1991.67.1

Overview: About 320 works were given or promised to the National Gallery of Art by more than 150 donors in honor of the institution's 50th anniversary. Included were works such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's Marcelle Lender Dancing the Bolero in "Chilpéric," gift (partial and promised) of Betsey Cushing Whitney in honor of John Hay Whitney; Paul Cézanne's Boy in Red Waistcoat, promised gift of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon; Albert Bierstadt's Lake Lucerne, gift of Richard M. Scaife and Margaret R. Battle; and Vincent van Gogh's Roses, gift (partial and promised) of W. Averell Harriman and Pamela C. Harriman. Jusepe de Ribera's The Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew was purchased and donated by the 50th anniversary gift committee, chaired by Gallery trustee Robert H. Smith. Wayne Thiebaud's Cakes was also purchased and donated by the 50th anniversary gift committee, with the Gallery's Collectors Committee, chaired by Ruth Carter Stevenson and Edwin L. Cox, and The Circle, chaired by Robert H. Smith and Katharine Graham.

Organization: Senior curator Andrew Robison oversaw the project. The entire curatorial staff researched and wrote catalogue entries. Gaillard Ravenel and Mark Leithauser designed the exhibition, and Gordon Anson designed the lighting.

Sponsor: GTE Corporation supported the exhibition.

Related publications: America's National Gallery of Art: A Gift to the Nation, by Philip Kopper. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1991.

The Corporate Patron, by Diane J. Gingold and Elizabeth A.C. Weil in collaboration with Elisa Buono Glazer. New York: Fortune, 1991.

Film: Voices in Celebration, produced and directed by Aviva Slesin.

Note: The music, education, and horticulture departments of the National Gallery also celebrated with special concerts, programs, and a display of the Ames-Haskell azaleas given in honor of the anniversary.

Attendance: 334,888

Catalog: Art for the Nation: Gifts in Honor of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art, 1991.

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