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Washington and Lee University Adds to Art Collection

Washington and Lee University has recently added to its art collection with the unveiling of a copy of a Frank Buchser portrait of Robert E. Lee, the original of which is displayed in the Swiss Embassy in Washington, D.C.

In the early fall of 1869, the Swiss artist, set out for Lexington to paint Lee. The original is now in the collection of the Swiss Confederation and is hanging in the Swiss Embassy.

Regarded as an important period painting by an exceptional artist, Captain Robert C. Peniston, former director of Lee Chapel, and David Vogelsanger, Swiss Consul General, Milan, worked to fund a copy of this portrait, to be displayed at W&L. They were successful.

The artist, Bradley Stevens, is recognized as one of America’s leading realist painters. He received both his B.A. and M.F.A. degrees from The George Washington University and has taught at both his alma mater and Georgetown University. His landscapes and portraits can be found in corporate and institutional collections across the country.