The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Special Exhibitions


	Special Exhibitions

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		Stuart in Newport and Scotland (1755–75)

		Stuart in London (1775–87)

		Stuart in Dublin (1787–93)

		Stuart in New York (1793–94)

		Stuart in Philadelphia (1794–1803)

		The George Washington Gallery

		Stuart in Washington, D.C. (1803–5)

		Stuart in Boston (1805–28)

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	Work 3 of 4

		Gilbert Stuart (American, 1755–1828) John Adams, 1823–24 Oil on canvas; 30 x 25 in. (76.2 x 63.5 cm) Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Bequest of Charles Francis Adams 1999.590



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Although Stuart's technique softened and showed signs that his hand was becoming tremulous in old age, his work remained intense. There can be no surer proof than this portrait of the ninety-year-old John Adams, painted on commission for his son. It was widely praised, not least of all by John Quincy Adams: "Stuart caught a glimpse of the living spirit shining through the feeble and decrepit body." The painter Washington Allston (cat. no. 88 in exhibition) understood the longevity of such a profound image: "In this venerable ruin will the unbending Patriot and the gifted Artist speak to posterity of the first glorious century of our Republic."

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