As we look upon the scene of the last 38 days, we can sympathize with Eakins. As he depicted himself leaning into the scene of the surgery (seen here in a detail from a collotype reproduction) the artist was uncertain if his masterpiece would be embraced or rejected. On the eve of this possible rift [...]

A few weeks ago, Mayor John Street said he wanted to designate The Gross Clinic as an “historic object” using an untested and controversial ordinance.  Today, we hear that the City has withdrawn that nomination, days before a debate scheduled at The Philadelphia Historical Commission.
What could this mean? 
Could designation have required the painting to remain [...]

Those who visit Philadelphia’s College of Physicians on 22nd near Market tend to go for the exhibits of skulls, tumors and miscellaneous wet specimens. Since the start of this countdown for The Gross Clinic, visitors also encounter one of Eakins’ “Men of Medicine.” The College recently brought out its portrait of Dr. William Thomson and hung [...]

In her report on Morning Edition (12-14-06) Susan Stamberg asks Kathy Foster from the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Joe Palka, NPR’s medical reporter, to analyze The Gross Clinic as a document of its day. Read more and listen to the report here.
Later the same day, during All Things Considered, WHYY’s Joel Rose reports from [...]

Last Spring, when W. W. Norton scheduled the publication date for the latest book on Thomas Eakins, no one would have guessed the artist would be the subject of 350 news stories and 750 blog posts when the book hit the stores. Lucky for Norton, and author William S. McFeely. At the peak of the [...]

Fourteen years after The Gross Clinic, Thomas Eakins took another stab at depicting a great man of medicine. We recently visited The Agnew Clinic, the 7-by-8-foot canvas featuring a significantly less blood-splattered surgery, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. For his efforts — and Eakins worked day and night for three months to complete this [...]

Thomas Eakins meant The Gross Clinic to represent the best of America on its 100th birthday. “In the spring of 1875, a circular was sent out to the artists of Philadelphia,” writes Kathy Foster from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, “urging them to prepare for the upcoming great Centennial Fair.” The city’s artists wanted to [...]

Last week, Sister Mary Scullion raised an important issue.  “The civic uproar over the pending sale of Thomas Eakins’ The Gross Clinic for $68 million raises complex questions about our society’s priorities and values.”
“Each day in our city,” writes Sister Mary in a Philadelphia Inquirer oped piece, “many people do without the basic necessities for [...]

For more than a week now, we’ve been hearing the same old line from those collecting our money: “We’re more than a third of the way there.”
That’s all we get to know after 27 days since the announcement of the sale? Who is giving? Silence on that one. How many of us [...]

If you are anywhere near the Benjamin Franklin Parkway tomorrow, Thursday December 7th, you should know about two free talks on Thomas Eakins. 
Anyone even slightly interested in this campaign should go to “Ten Reasons to Keep Eakins’ Gross Clinic in Philadelphia” by Philadelphia Museum of Art Curator Kathleen A. Foster.  After paying general admission to [...]