Marc Pachter, director of the National Portrait Gallery, will tell a story of politics and art when he speaks about “The Making of an American Icon: George Washington and Gilbert Stuart” at 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 24, in Hoyt Hall on the University of Rochester’s River Campus. The lecture, which is part of the Neilly Series, is free and open to the public.
Pachter will explain how President Washington and portraitist Gilbert Stuart came together, and why the famous full-length painting of Washington spent most of its existence in Great Britain. It was Pachter, the director of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington since 2000, who solicited help for a major national campaign to buy the painting at auction in 2001 and return it to the United States.
Grant Holcomb, director of the Memorial Art Gallery, will introduce Pachter.
Pachter was the Smithsonian’s deputy assistant secretary for external affairs from 1990 to 1994, overseeing Smithsonian magazine, SI Press, and membership and development programs. Later, he was appointed counselor to the secretary, with oversight of electronic media issues, facilitated international partnerships, and chaired the institution’s 150th anniversary.
The yearlong Neilly Series is supported by a major gift from University alumnus Andrew H. Neilly and his wife, Janet Dayton Neilly. It is produced by the River Campus Libraries of the University of Rochester. For more information, contact (585) 275-4461.
Note to editors: A JPEG image of Marc Pachter can be e-mailed to you. Please call (585) 275-4128 or send your request to sdickman@rochester.edu.