Thomas Eakins, American
Oil on canvas
8 feet x 6 feet 6 inches (243.8 x 198.1 cm)
Gift of the Alumni Association to Jefferson Medical College in 1878 and purchased by the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 2007 with the generous support of some 3,600 donors Gift of the Alunmi Association to Jefferson Medical College in 1878 and purchased by the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 2007 with the generous support of The Annenberg Foundation, Athena and Nicholas Karabots, an anonymous donor, Marguerite and Gerry Lenfest, Jeanette and Joe Neubauer, The Per Charitable Trusts, The Dorrance H. Hamilton Charitable Trust, Leslie Miller and Richard Worley, Mrs. J. Maxwell Moran, Penelope P. Wilson, The Joseph E. Temple Fund for the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (by exchange), and significant contributions from Jan and Warren Adelson in memory of Margaret and Raymond Horowitz, American Art Search, Mrs. Gustave G. Amsterdam, Graham Arader, Mr. and Mrs. Jack R Bershad, Estate of Frank Paul Bowman, Mr. and Mrs. William C. Buck, Michael and Veronica Bradley, Robert W. Brano, William C. Bullitt, Donald R. Caldwell, Clara Callahan and Peter Goodman, Mr. and Mrs. Tristram C. Colket, Jr., Connelly Foundation, Sarah and Frank Coulson, Maude de Schauensee, Mrs. Fitz Eugene Dixon, Jr., Jaimie and David Field, Joanna G. Gabel, Frederick R. Haas and Daniel K. Meyer, M.D., Joseph and Sherry Hanley, Hannah L. and J. Welles Henderson, Barbara B. and Paul M. Henkels, Holly Beach Public Library Association, Lynne and Harold Honickman, Kaiserman Family, Jill and Peter Kraus, Carolyn Payne Langfitt, Larking Hill Foundation, Harriet and Ronald Lassin, Ellen and Jerry Lee, Judy and Peter Leone, Mr. and Mrs. John H. Lombard, Jr., Mrs. Louis C. Madeira IV, Mr. and Mrs. Larry Magid, James A. Michener Art Museum, Agnes M. Mulroney, Dr. and Mrs. J. Brien Murphy and family, Mr. and Mrs. E. Newbold Smith, Elizabeth Anne O'Donnell, Jeffrey Orleans, Natalie Y. Peris Memorial Fund, Andrew M. Rouse, Peter V. Scoles, M.D., Susan K. Shapiro, 1675 Foundation, Dr. Stanton and SaraKay Smullens, Marilyn L. Steinbright, Deborah W. Troemner, Veritable, L.P., The William Penn Foundation The Women's Committee of the Phialadelphia Museum of Art, and some 3,600 donors, including trustees and staff of the the Academy and the Museum
2007-1-1
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Portrait of Dr. Samuel D. Gross (The Gross Clinic), acclaimed as the greatest American painting of the nineteenth century, has been an icon of Philadelphia since it was painted in 1875. The masterpiece of the young Thomas Eakins, an artist born and educated in Philadelphia, this painting sparked both controversy and praise at its first showing here in Philadelphia at the Centennial Exhibition in 1876, demonstrating the drama and force of character that set the tone for Eakins’ entire career. His masterful realism and his insistence on painting from modern American life shocked his contemporaries.
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Why is this painting a masterpiece?
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Recognized in Eakins’ lifetime as his greatest work, Portrait of Dr. Samuel D. Gross (The Gross Clinic) has gained stature since his death in 1916 as one of the most often reproduced, discussed, and celebrated paintings in American art history. In Philadelphia, it has come to represent the spirit and accomplishment of both the city and its most famous artist. Purchased from Eakins for $200 and given to Jefferson Medical College by alumni in 1878, the painting has been a source of inspiration to generations of students and doctors at Jefferson, and a pilgrimage site for visitors.
In its decision to sell Portrait of Dr. Samuel D. Gross (The Gross Clinic), Thomas Jefferson University offered Philadelphia institutions the right to match the price and acquire the painting, prompting an unprecedented outpouring of support to keep the masterpiece in the city. The painting will be jointly owned by and exhibited in alternation at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where the richness of history and context will deepen the meaning of this great work of art—a national treasure in its native city.
Curators
Kathleen Foster • The Robert L. McNeil, Jr., Senior Curator of American Art, Philadelphia Museum of ArtLynn Marsden-Atlass • Senior Curator, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Location
Colket Gallery 151, first floor
