Designing the Lincoln Memorial at the National Gallery of Art

Detail of the six-foot plaster model (1916) of Abraham Lincoln by Daniel Chester French (1850-1931)

Photo by Jerry L. Thompson, 2004. Courtesy Chesterwood, a National Trust Historic Site, Stockbridge, MA.t

Have you ever wondered how the nation's greatest monuments were conceived and designed? Visitors to Washington, DC and District natives that want a better understanding of the incredible monuments we pass daily on our way to work will both enjoy the exhibit at the National Gallery of Art entitled Designing the Lincoln Memorial: Daniel Chester French and Henry Bacon .

The exhibit is part of the 200th anniversary celebration of Lincoln's birth. Designing the Lincoln Memorial features models of the Lincoln Memorial that allow visitors to get an up close look at the architectural features of the Parthenon inspired marble building.

In addition to numerous explanatory panels, the exhibit includes: the 6-foot-high plaster working model of the statue created by American sculptor Daniel Chester French (1850–1931), a wood model of the Lincoln Memorial created by American architect Henry Bacon (1866–1924), life-size photo banners of the final Lincoln sculpture and a watercolor of the East Elevation of the Lincoln Memorial by Jules Guerin (who created the murals in the Memorial).

French’s plaster model of the seated Lincoln was used to carve the final 19-foot-high sculpture placed in the center of the Lincoln Memorial. The plaster model on view in the National Gallery is the second model made by French after collaboration with architect Bacon. The final sculpture was carved by the Piccirilli Brothers. It took a full year and 28 blocks of Georgia marble for create the sculpture now on view in the Memorial. French's plaster model is being lent by the Chesterwood Estate and Museum, French's country home and studio located in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

The wood model in the exhibit was as part of Bacon's entry into the design competition for the Memorial held by the Lincoln Memorial Commission. Bacon’s wood model is the original scale of the actual monument. Bacon recommended using French to create the Lincoln sculpture the building would house. Like the sculpture inside, the monument building was made from white marble and was constructed between 1914 and 1922.

Designing the Lincoln Memorial is on view in the National Gallery's West Building, Main Floor now through April 4, 2010. The National Gallery of Art is located on the National Mall between 3rd and 7th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW. The gallery is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.