Hiram PowersAmerican, 1805–1873Horatio Greenough
Can I see it?
Yes, on view now
Where is “Horatio Greenough” now? Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center, 3rd Floor, 20B, Washington, D.C. Yes, on view now. Checked September 25, 2026.
Washington, D.C., United States
RoomLuce Foundation Center, 3rd Floor, 20B
Open now· until 7:00 PM
On public display.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the sculpture
Hiram Powers met the American sculptor Horatio Greenough in 1836, shortly before Greenough settled in Florence, Italy, with his wife. The two men became close friends, and in 1838, Powers modeled this bust of the thirty-three-year-old artist. As a child, Greenough had experimented with sculpture in alabaster and clay until a local stonecutter taught him how to carve in marble. But his father opposed a career in art, and Greenough attended Harvard for four years before he was able to travel to Rome to study sculpture. In 1832 he became one of the first American artists to receive a national commission when Congress asked him to create a sculpture of George Washington for the United States Capitol. The statue is now in the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Greenough must have been an inspiration to Powers, who was the same age and following a similar career path, and in this bust the strong features and confident expression evoke a young, successful man who was proud of his early achievements.
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Details
- Accession number
- 1968.155.42
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Image: Smithsonian American Art Museum — CC0
