The Bruce Cole Lectures is a twelve-part public lecture series gathering leading scholars, artists, curators, and cultural voices to spark new conversations around traditional art, connoisseurship, and the vital role of the classical tradition in modern life. Topics include the poetics of naturalism, Renaissance art, sacred architecture, and the future of the liberal arts education. These lectures are part of the Bruce Cole Humanities Initiative and made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Jacob Collins presents his manifesto on the school of classical realism taught at Grand Central Atelier, arguing for a renewed culture of connoisseurship and patronage necessary to keep its traditions alive.
Grand Central Atelier presents The Bruce Cole Lectures, bringing together friends and colleagues of Bruce Cole (1938–2018) to reflect on his life and impact on the arts and humanities.
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The Bruce Cole Lectures are named in honor of Bruce Cole (1938–2018), distinguished art historian of the Italian Renaissance and the longest-serving Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities. A recipient of the Presidential Citizens Medal and the Knight of the Grand Cross of the Republic of Italy, Cole championed the humanities as essential tools for a self-governing citizenry. His signature initiatives, We the People and Picturing America, brought iconic American art and humanities resources to schools and libraries nationwide. A prolific scholar and Distinguished Professor of Fine Arts at Indiana University, Cole authored fifteen books, including seminal texts “The Renaissance Artist at Work: From Pisano to Titian” and “Art of the Western World.”
