The A.W. Mellon Lectures in the Fine Arts were begun in 1952 at the National Gallery of Art in order to bring the best in contemporary scholarship to the public. This illustrated documentary volume tells the story of the genesis of the lectureship, featuring essays by a variety of scholars.

The A.W. Mellon Lectures in the Fine Arts were begun in 1952 at the National Gallery of Art in order to bring the best in contemporary scholarship to the public. To mark the 50th anniversary of the acclaimed series, the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts has published this illustrated documentary volume. It tells the story of the genesis of the lectureship, featuring essays by a variety of contemporary scholars that discuss the first 50 lecturers - ranging from Jacques Maritain to Salvatore Settis and including such influential speakers as Anthony Blunt, Kenneth Clark, H.W. Janson, E.H. Gombrich, Kathleen Raine, Jacques Barzun and Arthur Danto, and their fields of expertise, the subject matter, and historical context for their talks. These writings provide a sense of the significance of the lectureship and its participants through commentary, critique and personal anecdotes.