Simmons presents on artist Frank Duveneck

Ph.D. candidate Elizabeth Simmons recently gave a lecture, "Hidden Gems: Frank Duveneck's Drawings," at the Newport History Museum in Newport, Kentucky as part of a year-long public event series on renowned Cincinnati artist, Frank Duveneck. Simmons is a Research Assistant for the Cincinnati Art Museum and is currently conducting extensive research on the artist's work for an upcoming exhibition.

In October 2020, the museum will present a major re-evaluation of Duveneck, who is considered the most influential painter in Cincinnati history, with the first comprehensive exhibition in more than 30 years. Through his brilliant and inspiring work as a painter and printmaker and as a charismatic teacher, Duveneck's impact on the international art world of his time was substantial and enduring. Curated by fellow Blue Hen Dr. Julie Aronson, Curator of American Paintings, Drawings & Sculpture, a definitive, multi-author publication with substantive new scholarship will accompany this exhibition and stand as the only book on the painter in print. Simmons' research for the project investigates the drawings of Frank Duveneck, an artist known for his direct painting method and virtuoso brushwork more than for his draftsmanship. Her lecture examined the function of drawing within the artist's body of work, as the Cincinnati Art Museum has the largest public collection of Duveneck drawings, including preparatory sketches for paintings and sculpture, academic studies from live models, whimsical caricatures of friends, finished pastel portraits and watercolor landscapes, as well as sketchbooks that span across Duveneck's career.