On the first Thursday of April, May and June, the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts will present a lecture series, Face to Face: The Art of the Portrait.

From Thomas Gainsborough to Andy Warhol, the portrait has remained one of the most compelling and revealing of artistic expressions. This three-part art lecture series, brought to life by art lecturer Bob Potter, will include iconic works of great artists, historic background on their lives and times, and revealing videos on the artists.

The first, on April 2, will be 18th Century Portraiture During Britain’s Age of Empire. Next, on May 7, will be From Manet to Van Gogh: Impressionism and the Art of the Portrait. Finally, on June 4, the lecture will travel back to the 60s with Pop Goes the Portrait.

“The portrait reveals an intimate understanding of how major artists have shown us not only the people in their worlds, but how they have dramatically influenced the art of the portrait through the centuries making this series both entertaining and informative for all art lovers,” notes Bob Potter, Lyme Academy Lecturer and Trustee.

Lectures are open to the public and will begin at 6:00 pm. There is a $5 fee for alumni and staff and $10 fee for the general public. Parking is free and the venue is handicap accessible.

For more information about the Lyme Academy, please visit us at www.lymeacademy.edu or call 860.434.5232.

About the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts: Founded in 1976 by esteemed sculptor Elisabeth Gordon Chandler, the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts is located in historic Old Lyme, CT which has been a vibrant center for the arts and artists in Southeastern, CT for more than 100 years. The Academy offers a variety of programs in art education under the guidance of master artists who share a deep respect for both traditional and innovative forms of teaching that provide students with the necessary foundation and skills to develop their own unique visual expression.

Art Lecture Presenter Bob Potter is a graduate of Syracuse University’s School of Visual and Performing Arts. He spent his early career as a creative director at Scholastic Magazines, Time Warner, and National Geographic. Later, he helped develop an innovative art therapy program at Save The Children, was a corporate development officer at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, headed marketing for Mystic Seaport, and most recently is a docent at the Yale Center For British Art and Board member of the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts.