The Art Museum at Washington and Lee Presents ‘150 Years: A Collection Begins’ The exhibit, on view starting Sept. 2, celebrates 150 years of art stewardship at W&L.
The Art Museum at Washington and Lee University presents “150 Years: A Collection Begins,” an exhibition celebrating the foundation of W&L’s art collection organized by the Art Museum team in partnership with the University Library.
The exhibit will be on view from Sept. 2, 2026, through May 29, 2027, in Leyburn Library. Janine Boldt, curator of American art at the Palmer Museum of Art at Penn State University, will deliver a lecture at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 15 in Northen Auditorium in Leyburn Library, followed by a reception in the library’s gallery space at 6:30 p.m.
The exhibit and reception events are free and open to the public, and pre-registration is required for Boldt’s lecture.
The first signs of art stewardship at W&L emerged over a period of several years in the late 19th century when the university received word that Dr. William Newton Mercer, a surgeon and benefactor to both W&L and the Virginia Military Institute, had wished to donate several paintings to the university after his passing. In June 1875, the university received five portraits of American presidents and statesmen from the Mercer estate and installed them in the University Chapel. This foundational gift marked the very first donation of art to the university and became the genesis of the art collection on campus.
Today, the art collection has grown to more than 15,000 objects, displayed across multiple sites on campus and serving as vital objects of learning for students, faculty, staff and visitors, as well as visiting researchers and art practitioners. “150 Years: A Collection Begins” celebrates the origins of this collection and a century and a half of art collection at the university, as well as the Art Museum’s role in stewarding art and promoting a culture of learning and appreciation of the arts on campus and beyond. In addition to Mercer’s bequest of artwork, his estate also donated over 1,000 books to the University Library, the second-largest donation in the library’s history.
To accompany the exhibit, the Art Museum has also installed an interpretive panel titled “Portrait of a President: George Washington at 250,” a tribute to the Lansdowne portrait of George Washington by William Winstanley and to the United States’ semi-quincentennial. The portrait and panel are currently on view in the atrium of the University Library.
Leyburn Library is open to the public from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday-Friday and 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. The Art Museum at W&L’s Reeves Museum and Watson Galleries are open to the public 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday. To learn more about the 2026-2027 exhibitions, visit the Art Museum’s website.
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