PAPA's Michael Patrick moderates William Congdon event at The Phillips Collection

On Thursday, May 7th, The William Congdon Foundation, Crossroads, and the Phillips Collection worked together to produce a beautiful event on the American Abstract Expressionist painter, William Congdon. Hosted in the Carriage House at the Phillips, the event was introduced by Dr. Dorothy Kosinski, Director of the Phillips, and Giorgio Gandolfi from Milan, Italy, Director of the William Congdon Foundation. Professor Fred Licht gave the lecture which in lucid terms told the story of Congdon's life and art, following a trajectory from his experience as one of the first American GI's to see the atrocities at Bergen-Belsen in Germany at the end of WW II to his conversion in Assisi, Italy and the last two decades of his life outside of Milan, during which his painting began to be filled with light and beauty. An audience of a little over 100 invited guests filled the Carriage House and at the end of the lecture proceeded to the main gallery of the first level of the Phillips COllection to see two of Congdon's paintings, which were purchased by Duncan Phillips in the 1950s and are part of the permanent collection.

Michael Patrick moderated the event.