Washington Portraits by Stuart on View

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Summary

Two of the most famous portraits of President George Washington and his wife, Martha, painted by Gilbert Stuart, go on view at the National Portrait Gallery. The portraits were purchased jointly by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Smithsonian under an agreement that they would be displayed alternately for three-year periods. They will be in the National Portrait Gallery from 1980 through 1983. In March 1983 they are shipped to the Boston Museum. The Smithsonian had wished to purchase the paintings alone, but faced opposition from many in Boston who did not want the works to leave the city permanently.

Subject

  • Stuart, Gilbert 1755-1828
  • Washington, George 1732-1799
  • Washington, Martha 1731-1802
  • Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
  • National Portrait Gallery (U.S.)
  • United States President

Category

Chronology of Smithsonian History

Notes

  • Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 371, Box 3, "The Torch," July 1980, p. 1.
  • Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 371, Box 4, "The Torch," June 1983, p. 2.
  • Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 7098, "S. Dillon Ripley Chronology."

Contact information

Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Institution Archives, 600 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20024-2520, SIHistory@si.edu

Date

July 4, 1980

Topic

  • Art
  • Controversies
  • Cooperation
  • Portraits
  • History
  • National Collections
  • Art--History
  • Art objects

Full Record

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