The Institute of Fine Arts is pleased to announce that Hank Willis Thomas will give the inaugural Sam Wagstaff Photography Lecture on Thursday, April 22, 2021, at 6:00 p.m. in conversation with New York-based artist Chris Berntsen.
This new lecture series honors the legacy of Samuel J. Wagstaff Jr. (November 4, 1921 –January 14, 1987). Wagstaff attended the Institute of Fine Arts in the 1950s, studying Italian Renaissance Art under Richard Offner, and went on to become a notable American art curator, collector, and patron of the arts. Through his influential collecting, teaching, and curatorial work, Wagstaff promoted photography as a fine art medium. His groundbreaking collection was purchased by the J. Paul Getty Museum in 1984, constituting the cornerstone of its newly formed Department of Photographs. Sam Wagstaff’s devotion to the medium contributed to its rising status over the years. The Institue of Fine Arts is delighted to celebrate his achievements by naming our annual photography lecture in his honor.