Artistic Generosity and the American Artist Abroad

Curated by Jack Shear in collaboration with the staff of the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center and many loaning participants, *Artistic Generosity and the American Artist Abroad* at the Frary Gallery presents a fascinating window on the activities of the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies (FAPE) in bringing American art to U.S. embassies around the world. The exhibition features works in painting, sculpture, prints, and photographs that have served as silent ambassadors, bridging cultures and fostering mutual understanding. Entering the gallery, visitors are met with Martin Puryear’s model for his 31-foot-high stainless steel sculpture *Connecting*, commissioned by FAPE as a gift for the new U.S. Embassy in Beijing and installed in 2018. The show includes Richard Benson’s pigment print *Shaw Monument* (1972/2013), capturing a portion of the Augustus Saint-Gaudens relief memorializing the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, as well as Carrie Mae Weems’s *Echoes For Marian* (2014), a digital C-print acquired by FAPE for the Department of State, alluding to Marian Anderson’s 1939 performance at the Lincoln Memorial. Other works include Joel Grey’s photograph *The Statue of Liberty* (c. 1999/2023), Ellsworth Kelly’s maquette for his *Beijing Panels* (2003), Joel Shapiro’s screenprint *Toss-up* (2012), Frank Stella’s lithograph/screenprint *The Symphony* (1989)—the first in FAPE’s Original Print collection—and Robert Rauschenberg’s lithograph *Domicile* (1996). The exhibition also features an Ed Ruscha lithograph, a James Rosenquist lithograph, and a Tina Barney photograph, among others, with many works using a red, white, and blue color scheme. The show demonstrates FAPE’s commitment to contemporary American art as the best representation of the country’s cultural attainment abroad.

When: April 7 – June 13, 2026.
Hours: Tuesday through Friday 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Saturday 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Venue: Frary Gallery, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center, 555 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC.
Admission: Free.
Contact: frarygallery@jhu.edu
Note: The exhibition is curated by Jack Shear, widower of Ellsworth Kelly, in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center staff and many loaning participants. It highlights FAPE’s role in cultural diplomacy and includes works by Martin Puryear, Richard Benson, Carrie Mae Weems, Joel Grey, Ellsworth Kelly, Joel Shapiro, Frank Stella, Robert Rauschenberg, Ed Ruscha, James Rosenquist, and Tina Barney.