Introduction
Engagement Through Art at the National Academy of Sciences
By Marcia McNutt, President, National Academy of Sciences
Visiting the home of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in Washington, D.C., is a sensory experience. Bronze reliefs in the white marble façade depict contributors to scientific thought and history from Aristotle to Darwin. Inside the building, artistic details and contemporary art adorn the walls, the domed ceiling of the Great Hall, and even the knobs at the end of handrails. Designed with the intention of sparking the imagination, the building provides a memorable visual identity for the institution.
Located on Constitution Avenue, the NAS Building is within sight of the memorial to President Abraham Lincoln, who signed the congressional charter that founded the NAS in 1863. The NAS opened the bronze doors to its first permanent home in 1924, and its location on the National Mall within steps of the Lincoln Memorial positioned it and science, both physically and culturally, as a significant presence in our nation’s capital.
The building’s architect, Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue, asked several significant artists of the day to create work for science’s new home. These artists included Hildreth Meière, a renowned muralist who collaborated with engineers and draftsman to design and oversee the painting of the Great Hall dome. For almost 100 years, visitors have looked up at the dome and have seen a constellation of ideas—the history of science and its impact on society depicted by Meière’s colorful artwork. The figures that depict milestones of scientific accomplishments and the world’s most prominent scientific institutions remind us of those who have come before and of the importance of carrying on the work of serving the nation and the public by providing expert advice on issues of science, engineering, and medicine.
The art in the NAS Building communicates our history, values, and connections with each other and the natural world. By engaging with artists whose work addresses connections with science, the office of the Cultural Programs of the NAS (CPNAS) celebrates the importance and impact of science, and engages a broader audience in the NAS’s mission. Science-themed art exhibits have been displayed in the building since the 1970s. More recently, other forms of public engagement have included theatrical readings, cross-disciplinary salons, and portrait collections of both Black American and women scientists, engineers, and medical practitioners who have influenced science in the United States and beyond.
(1889–1976)
The Academy by Moonlight, 1925
Oil on canvas
28.25 x 34.25 inches
James Perry Wilson, architectural artist, was an associate of architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue during the construction of the NAS Building. He was also a self-taught plein air painter and is known for painting backdrops such as those at the American Museum of Natural History’s Hall of North American Mammals in New York City. This painting, completed in 1925, is unusual because Wilson combined his architectural rendering skills with his fascination in capturing the quality of moonlight.
Robert Berks
(1922–2011)
Albert Einstein Memorial, 1979
Bronze and granite
144 x 252 x 135 inches
Albert Einstein Memorial Statue
© 1978 Robert Berks
Photograph by Alex Jamison
Probably the most noted and accessible work in the National Academy of Sciences’ collection, the Albert Einstein Memorial is located on Constitution Avenue in front of the NAS Building. In 1905, Albert Einstein created a body of work with ideas that would change humanity’s conception of the universe. The National Academy of Sciences’ memorial to Albert Einstein was unveiled at its annual meeting, April 22, 1979, in honor of the centennial of Einstein’s birth.
On the front lawn outside the building, the Albert Einstein Memorial is a favorite among visitors to Washington, D.C., who love to climb on his lap and have their photos taken. Meant to honor the great physicist for his contributions to science, the highly popular memorial, like the NAS art collection, reminds us of much more. Part of Einstein’s legacy is that the process of science is interconnected with all areas of human endeavor, and the resulting synergy benefits us all. For Albert Einstein, who famously stated that art and science are branches of the same tree, imagination and creativity were critical in all areas of inquiry. Einstein, who played both violin and piano, once said, “If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician.” Conversely, his contributions are said to have had an impact on the arts, influencing Cubism and Futurism, illuminating the potential and unexpected outcomes of scientific investigation.
The advancement and understanding of science are vital to addressing many of the global challenges we face. An investigation of science through the lens of art can help us become sensitive to the personal and cultural context of how scientific knowledge is developed and applied. It reminds us of the humanity of science. As you look at the work in this catalogue and the constellation of ideas it represents, imagine the possibilities of looking at the familiar from a new perspective. The NAS art collection, like Hildreth Meière’s iconography in the Great Hall, or the polymathic nature of Einstein’s thought processes, exemplifies the idea that the convergence of disciplines is far more interesting, and potentially beneficial, than their differences.
Hildreth Meière
(1892–1961)
Great Hall, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C.
Commissioned 1922, completed 1924
Gesso-based paint and gold leaf
Photograph by Mark Finkenstaedt
The iconography of the ceiling of the Great Hall was designed by artist Hildreth Meière and painted and gilded by the Mack, Jenny & Tyler Company. It depicts the history and significance of science. The eight basic disciplines in the dome are Physics, Astronomy, Chemistry, Geology, Anthropology, Zoology, Botany, and Mathematics. Four older, more well-established science academies depicted in the arches are The Royal Society, London; Académie des Sciences, Paris; Accademia dei Lincei, Rome; and the Museum of Alexandria, Egypt. The four elements of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water are depicted in the pendentives.
The project was Meière’s first major architectural commission and launched her 35-year career. The commission presented several technical challenges that required her collaboration with building engineers, a significant accomplishment for a woman working in the 1920s in a male-dominated field. The designs are in the streamlined Art Deco style that became her trademark. Meière went on to complete more than 100 commissions, including the roundels of Dance, Drama, and Song at Radio City Music Hall in New York City and the iconographic suites at the Nebraska State Capitol.