The subject of a portrait by the French artist Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson has long been identified as the Katchef Dahouth, a Mamluk living in France around the turn of the 19th century; but recent research by Thadeus Dowad on Girodet and this painting has revealed that the sitter was, in fact, Dāvūd Gürcü, a former official in Ottoman Egypt, likely of Georgian origin.
Join research associate, Andrea Morgan, and assistant director of Gallery Activation, Kristen French, for a discussion about the exciting challenge of incorporating new research into the stories of this piece and others in the collection.
about the speakers
Andrea Morgan is the research associate in Painting and Sculpture of Europe at the Art Institute of Chicago. She holds a PhD in art history from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, and an MA from Tufts University. She is particularly interested in 18th-century British and French art, provenance studies, and women artists and collectors.
Kristen French is the assistant director of Gallery Activation at the Art Institute of Chicago. She is a museum educator interested in connecting audiences to art and their own capacity for critical reflection. She is an MA candidate in Modern and Contemporary Art History at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and holds BAs in the History of Art and Architecture and Public Policy Studies from DePaul University.
what to expect
This program will last about 90 minutes and visit two different galleries on the 2nd floor, accessible by both stairs and an elevator. Visitors will meet in Gallery 218 at 2:00.
There will be folding stools available for seating. ASL interpretation and/or assisted listening devices are available upon request at museum_interpretation@artic.edu. Assisted listening devices are limited and available on a first come, first served basis. Requests must be made at least two weeks in advance.
