George Washington

In 1784, the Congress of Virginia passed a resolution to have a statue of President Washington for the State Capitol. Thomas Jefferson was chosen to select a European artist worthy of the task. After consulting Benjamin Franklin, Jefferson chose Houdon, the foremost portrait sculptor of his time. In 1785, Houdon sailed for Philadelphia to begin the commission. Unlike most of his contemporaries, Houdon worked from life, not paintings, and took careful and detailed measurements of George Washington as well as plaster impressions and sketches before returning to Paris to complete the sculpture. This painstaking attention to detail makes this piece particularly realistic and is one of the very best of renderings of George Washington that exist. The full-length statue still adorns the front of the Capitol in Richmond, and this authorized bronze cast of that sculpture was completed by the Gorham Foundry. It was purchased by The George Washington University in 1932 on the occasion of the George Washington Bicentennial. After standing in a number of locations on the campus, the statue found its permanent home in the University Yard and was dedicated on September 6, 1991. Using the same study material, Houdon later created several busts of Washington, one of which is also included in the GW Collection.

Campus Icons Walking Tour: The Outdoor Sculpture of the GW Collection, Luther W. Brady Art Gallery, The George Washington University, https://corcoran.gwu.edu/sites/g/files/zaxdzs2941/f/image/CampusIcons%202019.pdf, no. 1, ill. cover

Outdoor Sculpture, Luther W. Brady Art Gallery, Washington DC, January 01, 1980

G.W. - B.M.O.C. (Big Man on Campus), The Dimock Gallery, Washington DC, June 15, 1976 - July 18, 1976