Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What’s the best-known image in American art? Gilbert Stuart’s portrait of George Washington, which graces the $1 bill. Stuart cranked out nearly 100 versions of the several portraits he made of Washington. The great man found the high-living Stuart tiresome, which may explain his dour expression; Stuart, in turn, considered his famous subject rather dull. The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s retrospective will let viewers decide whether Stuart’s art transcends his afternoons with George.

Metropolitan Museum of Art, October 21 through January 16, 2005

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• Archive: “Cover Story”
• Articles by Mark Stevens
• Table of Contents: September 13, 2004 issue of New York | Subscribe!