By David J. Kent
Washington, D.C.
Friday, April 29, 2022
Are you ready for the Lincoln Memorial’s 100th Birthday? The Arts Club of Washington will sponsor a prelude to the Lincoln Group of DC’s big Centennial weekend. On Thursday, May 19, 2022, beginning at 6:00 pm, the Arts Club is featuring Harold Holzer. And thanks to Lincoln Group and Arts Club member Caroline Van Deusen, we’re all invited.
One hundred years ago, 50,000 people gathered on the National Mall for the dedication of the Lincoln Memorial, which featured the largest and most ambitious marble sculpture ever created in America – the monumental, seated Abraham Lincoln by Daniel Chester French. As it happens, French is a charter member of the Arts Club of Washington.
Lincoln Memorial centennial festivities begin with Harold Holzer – author of the award-winning 2019 biography Monument Man: The Life and Art of Daniel Chester French – giving an illustrated talk on the famous sculptor, his extraordinary career, and his greatest achievement. The presentation explores French’s New England Youth and training, his early successes (including the Minute Man statue in Concord, MA), his brief but unsatisfying career in Washington, his later triumphs, and the behind-the-scenes process that resulted in the inspiring statue that dominates the interior of the Lincoln Memorial. As the reigning world expert on both Abraham Lincoln and Daniel Chester French, Holzer brings a lifetime of insight into both of these two exceptional men.
The event is free to Arts Club members and open to the public. For details and reservations go to https://artsclubofwashington.org/events/details/?event_id=4781874
So, come to the Arts Club on May 19th to the slide show, the light refreshments, and an opportunity to get a signed copy of the book. Then join us for a full suite of Lincoln Memorial Centennial events on May 21, 22, and 23.
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