Susan R. Stein

Susan R. Stein: “Thomas Jefferson: Planting the Arts in America”

video still of Susan Stein giving lecture at podium

Susan R. Stein, Richard Gilder Senior Curator, Monticello

As an architect, designer, collector, and patron of the arts, Thomas Jefferson understood the importance of the arts in forging an American identity, especially through the recognition of its founders. This talk explores how and why Jefferson recommended that Europe’s most famous sculptor, Antonio Canova, receive the commission to execute the sculpture of George Washington for North Carolina’s state capitol.

This lecture is supported by the Robert H. Smith Family Foundation.